Chapter 19
CITIES and IMMIGRANTS
AMERICA BECOMES A
MELTING POT IN THE
LATE 19TH & EARLY
20TH CENTURY
Section 1: Problems Arise as Cities
Grow


Urbanization
Housing
 Row-House
 Tenements
 Dumbbell
Tenements
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


Transportation
Water & Sanitation
Law & Order
Firefighting
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Rapid urbanization
occurred in the late
19th century in the
Northeast &
Midwest
Most immigrants
settled in cities
because of the
available jobs &
affordable housing
By 1910,
immigrants made
up more than half
the population of 18
major American
cities
Americanization Movement
 Education
program designed to help
immigrants assimilate to American
culture.
 Taught English and “American”
culture.
 Urbanization:
the growth of cities.
 Immigrants lived in ethnic
neighborhoods where people spoke
the same language.
 People moved from the farms to the
cities for jobs in the factories.
URBAN PROBLEMS



Problems in
American cities in
the late 19th and
early 20th century
included:
Housing:
overcrowded
tenements were
unsanitary
Sanitation:
garbage was often
not collected,
polluted air
Famous photographer Jacob Riis
captured the struggle of living in
crowded tenements
URBAN PROBLEMS
CONTINUED

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Harper’s Weekly image of Chicagoans
fleeing the fire over the Randolph
Street bridge in 1871
Transportation: Cities
struggled to provide
adequate transit systems
Water: Without safe
drinking water cholera and
typhoid fever was common
Crime: As populations
increased thieves
flourished
Fire: Limited water supply,
wooden structures
combined with the use of
candles led to major urban
fires – Chicago 1871 and
San Francisco 1906 were
two major fires
PHOTOGRAPHER JACOB RIIS
CAPTURED IMAGES OF THE CITY
Jacob Riis
Jacob Riis
Jacob Riis
Jacob Riis
Jacob Riis
Jacob Riis
Section 1 Continued

Segregation
– Great Migration
– Jim Crow Laws
– De Facto
Segregation
– De Jure
Segregation
– Ghettos
Segregation
 De
facto segregation: exists by
practice & custom (choice)
 De jure segregation:
segregation by law. (difficult to
fight this!)
SECTION 2: POLITICAL MACHINES
ACQUIRE MORE POWER



As cities grew in the late
19th century, so did
political machines
Political machines
controlled the activities
of a political party in a
city
Ward bosses, precinct
captains, and the city
boss worked to ensure
their candidate was
elected
ROLE OF THE POLITICAL
BOSS


The “Boss” controlled
jobs, business licenses,
and influenced the
court system
Precinct captains and
ward bosses were
often 1st or 2nd
generation immigrants
so they helped
immigrants with
naturalization, jobs,
and housing in
exchange for votes
Boss Tweed ran NYC
MUNICIPAL GRAFT AND
SCANDAL



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Some political bosses were
corrupt
Some political machines used
fake names and voted
multiple times to ensure
victory (“Vote early and
often”) – called Election
fraud
Graft (bribes) was common
among political bosses
Construction contracts often
resulted in “kick-backs”
The fact that police forces
were hired by the boss
prevented close scrutiny
THE TWEED RING
SCANDAL





William M. Tweed, known as
Boss Tweed, became head of
Tammany Hall, NYC’s powerful
Democratic political machines
Between 1869-1871, Tweed
led the Tweed Ring, a group of
corrupt politicians, in
defrauding the city
($10 million)
Tweed was indicted on 120
counts of fraud and extortion
Tweed was sentenced to 12
years in jail – released after
one, arrested again, and
escaped to Spain
Boss Tweed
Immigrants
 Immigrants
were put to work for the
machines (those who spoke English).
 Would tell new immigrants to follow
the “bosses” rules.
 The political machines helped
immigrants become citizens,
provided housing and jobs.
 Would get votes in return.
Section 3: New Immigrants Arrive
19th century
immigration
 Eastern Europeans
 Cultural
Differences

– Language
– Religion
– Race
Immigration Continued
Melting Pot
A
mixture of people from different
cultures and races.
 They
blend together by abandoning
their native languages and cultures.
– Become “American”
FRICTION DEVELOPS



Some immigrants tried to
assimilate into American
culture, others kept to
themselves & created ethnic
communities
Committed to culture, but
tried hard to become
Americans, many came to
think of themselves as ItalianAmericans, Polish-Americans,
Chinese-Americans, etc
Some native born Americans
disliked the immigrants
unfamiliar customs and
languages – friction soon
developed
Chinatowns are found in many
major cities
EUROPEANS




Between 1870 and
1920, about 20
million Europeans
arrived in the United
States
Before 1890, most
were from western
and northern Europe
After 1890, most
came from southern
and eastern Europe
All were looking for
opportunity
LIFE IN THE NEW LAND




Late 19th century
most immigrants
arrived via boats
Trip from Europe
took about a month,
took about 3 weeks
from Asia
The trip was arduous
and many died along
the way
Destination was Ellis
Island for Europeans,
and Angel Island for
Asians
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
ELLIS ISLAND, NEW
YORK
Ellis Island- arrival point
for European immigrants
Had to pass inspection at
the immigration stations
Processing took hours,
and the sick were sent
home
Immigrants had to show
they were not criminals,
had some money ($25),
and were able to work
From 1892-1924, 17
million immigrants
passed through Ellis
Island’s facilities
ELLIS ISLAND, NEW YORK HARBOR
ANGEL ISLAND, SAN
FRANCISCO



Asians, primarily
Chinese, arrived on
West Coast, gained
admission at Angel
Island (San
Francisco Bay)
Processing was
harsher than Ellis
Island
Immigrants
withstood tough
questioning and
long detentions in
filthy conditions
ANGEL ISLAND WAS CONSIDERED MORE
HARSH THAN ELLIS ISLAND
Section 4: Demands Grow for
Restrictions on Immigration
As immigration increased, so
did anti-immigrant feelings
among natives
Anti-Asian feelings
included restaurant
boycotts
Nativism
 Favoring
the interests of native-born
people over foreign-born people.
 Anti-immigrant groups formed.
 Most native born Americans were
Protestants.
 Did not like Jewish, Catholics, or
Muslim immigrants.
 Catholics were attacked & Jews were
not allowed in certain public places.
Congress
 Congress
passed a literacy test
requirement for immigrants to enter
the U.S.
 Had to read 40 words in English.
 President Cleveland vetoed the bill.
 It
passed in 1917 when Wilson was
in office, even though he vetoed it.
CHINESE
Between 1851 and
1882, about 300,000
Chinese arrived on the
West Coast
 Some were attracted
by the Gold Rush,
others went to work
for the railroads,
farmed or worked as
domestic servants

Many Chinese men
worked for the railroads
Anti-Asian
Americans were worried about jobs going
to Chinese immigrants.
 Chinese Exclusion Act: 1882 law where
no Chinese immigrants were allowed to
enter the U.S. for 10 years.
 Law was extended another 10 years in
1892.
 1902: Chinese immigration was
restricted.
 Law turned over in 1943.

JAPANESE



In 1884, the Japanese
government allowed
Hawaiian planters to
recruit Japanese
workers
The U.S. annexation of
Hawaii in 1898
increased Japanese
immigration to the
west coast
By 1920, more than
200,000 Japanese
lived on the west coast
Japanese
 1906:
San Francisco segregated
Japanese children and put them into
separate schools.
 President Theodore Roosevelt helped
pass the Gentlemen’s Agreement of
1907-1908.
 Gentlemen’s Agreement: Japan’s
government agreed to limit the
number of unskilled workers going to
the U.S. if San Francisco stopped the
segregation.
Immigration Restrictions Continued

Alien Land Lawprohibited Japanese
from owning
agricultural land