LESSON ONE:
GROWTH OF THE CITIES
Ohio Content Standards:
History B-1d. Explain the effects of industrialization in the U.S. in the
late 19th century, including urbanization
Geography A & C - 1. Explain how perceptions and characteristics of
geographic regions in the United States have changed over time
including urban areas, 3. Analyze the geographic processes that
contributed to changes in American society including urbanization
Activate Prior Knowledge!
 Why did industrialization lead to the growth of
American cities?
 Prior to the Civil War/Reconstruction Eras,
who lived in cities?
 Prior to the Civil War/Reconstruction Eras,
who were the immigrants and why did they
immigrate?
 When did the “frontier” officially close?
 What was the status of former slaves in the
South, following reconstruction?
We remember that…
 As a result of the early Industrial Revolution, manufacturing grew in
along the northeast coast of the U.S. and eventually spread to the
Great Lakes region, including some areas along the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers. Transportation and many resources were
available.
 Prior to 1877, many of the people who lived in the major urban
areas were native-born Americans. Additionally there were many
immigrants from Northern and Western Europe, such as England,
Ireland, and Germany. They had come for economic opportunities
and religious freedoms.
We remember that… (cont.)
 Federal troops withdrew from the
South following Reconstruction.
 Legalized discrimination,
intolerance, and violence toward
African-Americans was common in
The South
 In 1890, the U.S. Census bureau
proclaimed that the frontier was
essentially closed. This diminished
land “giveaways”, such as the
1862 Homestead Act.
Growth of the Cities: Late 19th Century
Vocabulary
 Urban area- A densely-settled areas (many people per square mile)
 Rural area:sparsely populated areas (few people per square mile)
 Urbanization- becoming densely populated and acquiring the common
traits of densely settled areas
 Immigration - Moving to a new country for the purpose of living there
 Emigration - Leaving one country to move to another
Growth of the Cities: Late 19th Century
Vocabulary, cont.
 Migration - Movement of people from one place to
another. Can be intercontinental, interstate, or
interregional (such as rural to urban)
 Refugee - a person who is living outside their country
of origin due to fear of persecution due to race,
religion, group membership, political opinion.
 Push Factor - Reason for emigrating
 Pull factor - Reason for immigrating
Growth of the Cities: Late 19th Century
Causes of the Growth
1.
Farmers migrate to cities - Between 1880 and
1920, 11 million Americans left farms and went to
the cities*. Why?

New farm technology meant less human labor

1893 financial crisis results in thousands of farms
being lost due to mortgage foreclosures

Off-spring of farmers cannot all “inherit the farm”.
Many go to cities
* Although many left their farms during this period, the actual number of
farms continued to increase for quite some time. Keep in mind
that population was growing rapidly.
Causes of the Growth, cont.
2.

Migration of African-Americans from South to the cities
After reconstruction, legal discrimination and violence toward AfricanAmericans escalates in southern states.
a. Jim Crow Laws - legalized discrimination
1. literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather taxes prohibit most AfricanAmericans from voting
2. enforced segregation of public facilities
3. Black Codes - behavioral rules
Causes of the Growth, cont.
Migration of African-Americans from South to the cities,
cont.
b. Poor treatment, mob violence,
and lynching (severe
punishment of an accused
person, without benefit of a trial)
reach all time highs in the
1890’s.

Thousands of AfricanAmericans leave the South and
head for employment in
northern cities

This migration stream intensifies
after the turn of the century and
becomes known as the Great
Migration.
Causes of the Growth, cont.
3.
Immigration of Southern and
Eastern Europeans to American
industrial cities

This “Great Wave” of immigration was
different from earlier immigration
streams
-Italians, Poles, Austrian, Czechs,
Hungarian, Slovaks, Russian, Greeks,
and others
-most of the new immigrants did not
speak English
-many of the new immigrants were
uneducated peasants
-many were Catholic, Orthodox, or
Jewish
Causes of the Growth, cont.
Immigration of Southern and Eastern
Europeans to American industrial cities,
cont.

Most left poverty, famine, and/or political
unrest. They sought economic
opportunities, some fled religious
persecution

From 1890-1914 approximately 15 million
immigrated to U.S. Most settled in cities

70% came through New York City
URBANIZATION OF
AMERICA



Shift from primarily rural to primarily
urban
By 1890, 90% of manufacturing
occurred in urban areas and 1/3 of
Americans lived in them.
Most populous:
1. New York City. 1.5 million
2. Philadelphia, 1 million+
3. Chicago. 1 million +
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cayton, Andrew, Elisabeth I. Perry, Linda Reed, and Allan Winkler. America
Pathways to the Present. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentiss
Hall, 2005.
"Human Migration Guide." National Geographic Xpeditions. 2006.
National Geographic Society. 1 Aug. 2007
www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/09
Ochoa, George, and Melinda Corey, eds. American History on File.
Vol. 1,2. New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc, 2002.