Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
February 8, 2013
A/A.P. U.S. History
Mr. Green
Objectives: Students will:
Describe the rise of the American industrial city, and place it in the
context of worldwide trends of urbanization and mass migration (the
European diaspora).
Describe the New Immigration, and explain how it differed from the
Old Immigration and why it aroused opposition from many native-born
Americans.
Discuss the efforts of social reformers and churches to aid the New
Immigrants and alleviate urban problems, and the immigrants’ own
efforts to sustain their traditions while assimilating to mainstream
America.
AP Focus
Industrialization sparks urbanization, and cities become magnets
for immigrants. Those who can afford to leave behind the hustle and
bustle of urban life move to the budding suburbs. See the table in The
American Pageant (13th ed., p. 560/14th ed., p. 598). Demographic
Changes is an AP theme.
The late nineteenth century sees a surge of immigration, now from
eastern and southern Europe. Most encounter living and working
conditions not appreciably better than what they had left. The tenement
floor plan (13th ed., p. 561/14th ed., p. 599) shows typical living
conditions for impoverished urban workers.
CHAPTER THEMES
In the late nineteenth century,
American society was increasingly dominated
by large urban centers. Explosive urban
growth was accompanied by often disturbing
changes, including the New Immigration,
crowded slums, new religious outlooks, and
conflicts over culture and values. While many
Americans were disturbed by the new urban
problems, cities also offered opportunities to
women and expanded cultural horizons.
Begin reading chapter 25
Cities across the world expanded
Impacts of urbanization
commuters-electric street cars, subways
urban lifestyle attraction
consumerism rather than virtues of thrift
skyscrapers
crime
sanitation
slums, dumbbell tenements
fires
This chart shows the percentage of
total population living in locales with a
population of twenty-five hundred or
more. Note the slowing of the cityward
trend from 1970 on.
2 million immigrants between 1850s and
1870s
5 million in the 1880s
Prior to 1880-British Isles/Western EuropeGermany/China
After 1880-southern/eastern Europe
Italians, Jews, Croats, Slovaks, Greeks, and
Poles
19% of immigrants in 1880s-early 20th century
66% of immigrants
European Diaspora
A dispersion of a people from their original
homeland
European cities growing vigorously as a result
of fish/grains from U.S.
cultivation of the potato
America letters
Profit-seeking Americans
Savage persecutions
Birds of passage-25% between 1820-1900
Immigrants received no support from federal and state
governments
Many turned to city “bosses”
Bosses traded jobs/services for votes
“Social Gospel”
churches address social issues of the day
Jane Addams
Hull House in Chicago 1889
Settlement houses
women’s activism/social reform
Women workers were single, as work for married women
was taboo
Native born Americans concerned with the New Immigrants
religion
culture
high birthrate
not Anglo-Saxon-they would disappear
corruption
cheap labor
political beliefs
American Protective Association
Anti-Catholic
Use as strikebreakers, hard to organize
1882-paupers, criminals, convicts and Chinese
1885-banned foreign workers under contract
1886-Statue of Liberty
Liberal Protestants
rejected biblical literalism
stories as models for behavior
Roman Catholics
1900-largest single denomination
Judaism
Salvation Army-from England
Church of Christ, Scientist-heal the sick
YMCA, YWCA
1. What new opportunities and social problems
did the cities create for Americans?
2. In what ways was American urbanization
simply part of a worldwide trend, and in what
ways did it reflect particular American
circumstances? How did the influx of millions of
mostly European immigrants create a special
dimension to America’s urban problems?
3. How did the New Immigration differ from the
Old Immigration, and how did Americans
respond to it?
4. How was American religion affected by the
urban transformation, the New Immigration, and
cultural and intellectual changes?
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Begin Reading 1st ½ of Chapter 25
Prepare for 5 question reading check on first
½ of Chapter 25 on Monday
Begin working on 1890s decade chart
Test on Fri/Monday