Evaluate the influence of
immigration and rapid
industrialization on urban life.
NCSCOS 5.01
AP USH Unit 16
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Macro Concepts
Conflict-problem or issue that is
controversial and can cause
problems without compromise.
Change-the transformation of a
person, place or thing.
Innovation-improvement and
advancement in the way
something is done.
Reform-The method of fixing,
improving and correcting [change
for the better].
Micro Concepts
Industrialization-the process of people
producing things using mass production and
machinery.
Immigration-the process of mass entrance into
a new country to live permanently.
Urbanization-the process of living in high
population, high density cities.
Nativism-political movement led by native born
white citizens who were unfriendly to nonEnglish speaking immigrants.
Cultural pluralism-concept that multiple culture
co-exist [live peacefully near each other] in
the same country.
Melting pot-the blending and mixing of foreign
cultures in order into one common culture.
Culture shock-the feeling of surprise and awe
connected to living in a new and strange
place that is different from where you came
from.
Coming to America
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Millions of newcomers to the United states left
their countries of birth for better lives.
From the 1880s to the 1920s immigrants from
Western and Eastern Europe came in huge
numbers to the U.S. through the Ellis Island
immigrant transfer station in New York Harbor.
Asian immigrants arrived through the Angel
Island in San Francisco Bay, California.
Immigrants’ criminal and health records were
checked in reference to their countries of origin.
Immigrants deemed too sick or had deadly
diseases were sent back to their home countries
or quarantined [isolated] until they were well
enough to join the rest of the population.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Immigrant Labor and Work
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Many of the new immigrants from Western and Eastern Europe were from
the peasant classes [uneducated, unskilled] and often encountered
discrimination and a language barrier.
Immigrant children often assimilated quickly but often spoke broken
English.
Public school helped immigrant children with adjustment and assimilation.
Laborers often did piece work for local businesses manufacturing textiles
sewing [most often women and children]. Each item or “piece” was paid a
price.
Women also worked outside the home in sweatshops in unsafe conditions
for very long hours at low wages.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Urbanization and City life
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Populations of major U.S. cities such as New York, Chicago and Philadelphia
doubled from about 40 million in 1870 to about 80 million by 1900. Big cities
were often very crowded [densely populated].
Streets were filled with vendors and domestic animals [chickens, horses,
pigs] causing filthy and unsanitary conditions. High crime was rampant.
Urbanization of the United States concentrated large populations of people
into cities.
New immigrants such as Western Europeans [Italians and Jews] were drawn
by the lure of industrial type jobs in factories.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
New Immigrants vs. Old Immigrants
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Old immigrants-From the 1600s to early 1800s most of the people who
arrived as immigrants to the United States were from English speaking
countries such as England, Scotland and Ireland. Many Germans and
French came to the U.S. as well. The dominant religion was Protestantism.
New immigrants from the mid-1800s to early 1900s did not speak English
and were mostly Catholic and Jewish.
The differences between the two groups caused resentment and conflict.
The Old immigrants wanted to preserve their language and culture and
preached nativism [favoring and maintaining original America].
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Jane Addams and Settlement Houses
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Hull House was a community center in Chicago that was created to help
newly arrived immigrants, especially women, transition to the New World.
Helped new comers cope with big city life and to learn English.
Provided cultural activities such as block parties, rent parties and street
festivals to raise money for the center and needy families.
Jane Addams provided free simple health care and job training for women.
Addams also advocated against child labor and sweat shops.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Living conditions of city dwellers
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Cramped living conditions and poor sanitation facilities were common.
Dumbbell tenements were designed to maximize space by using a vertical
design [multiple floors] with long, narrow construction.
Communal bathrooms often used by multiple families increased the chance
of disease transfer and also created a lack of privacy for residents.
Early tenements also had poor ventilation [causing respiratory ailments]
and poor natural lighting due to a lack of windows throughout [one room
had window] the apartments.
Prior to introduction of fire escapes deaths due to fire were common.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Transportation
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Electric trolleys were used to transport people through city streets on top of
metal tracks similar to those used by railroads.
Mass transit lines were expanded in major cities such as Chicago and New
York [powered by overhead electric power lines].
Electric trolleys were eventually replaced by underground subways at the
turn of the 20th century.
Public transportation allowed easy and cheap transportation to work for poor
citizens.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Inventions and Innovations
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Elevators-created to
transport people vertically
within multi-story buildings in
major cities such as Chicago
and New York.
Telephones-patented by
Alexander Graham Bell it
gave people the ability to
communicate inexpensively
over long distances.
Typewriters-gave people
ability to write text in a faster
and more efficient manner.
Newspaper and magazine
writers, as well as book
authors, used these machines
to share the written word.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Thomas Edison
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The most influential and
famous of all American
inventors.
He patented hundreds of
inventions so he could
receive payments.
His most famous inventions
were the light bulb,
phonograph and movie
recorder.
His inventions [especially
the light bulb] improved the
quality of life for Americans.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Jacob Riis and How the Other Half Lives
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Jacob Riis was an immigrant from Denmark.
He was a photo-journalist [photographer who
told stories with photos] for New York City
newspapers.
He published thousands of photos showing how
immigrants lived in squalor [horrible poverty],
unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
In 1890 he published a collection of his photos
titled How the Other Half Lives showing how the
poorest of the urban poor lived.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
Spectator sports
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Bare-knuckled Irish-American brawlers such as John L. Sullivan and
“Gentleman Jim” Corbett fought as prize fighters during the mid-late 1800s.
In 1892 the two pugilists [boxers] fought before more than 10,000
spectators in New Orleans.
Corbett defeated Sullivan handing the legendary Irish boxer his first and only
loss.
Championship boxing matches were enormously popular in the early
1900s.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Spectator sports
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Team sports became wildly popular with the advent of “basket ball” by Dr.
James Naismith in 1891 at Springfield, Massachusetts and baseball by
Alexander Cartwright in 1845 at Hoboken, New Jersey.
The popularity of the two sports sprang from the expansion of leisure time
among young American men. The desire to be competitive and physically fit
yet group oriented greatly enhanced the appeal of these sports. The two
“games” remain highly regarded to this day.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
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Because Chinese workers were willing to work for extremely low wages [lower
than other immigrants] lots of resentment was directed towards them.
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Violent attacks on Chinese workers by white immigrants and poor whites took
place in San Francisco and other cities
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The U.S. Federal Government passed a law called the Chinese Exclusion Act in
1882 that banned Chinese immigration.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Amusement Parks
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Entrepreneurs [business owners] created parks with exciting attractions
such as rides and strange acts to attract people to pay admission fees.
The most famous early American amusement park was Coney Island in
Brooklyn, New York. City residents could escape from city life for a time.
The park contained rides, restaurants, hotels, circus acts, freak shows,
beach and boardwalk [wooden road overlooking the seashore].
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Frederick Law Olmstead
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City life was stressful because of overcrowding, filth and crime.
Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead was hired to design public
parks in large cities such as New York, Detroit and Chicago.
The purpose of public parks was to provide open spaces for recreation,
exercise and escape from the stress of city life.
New York City’s Central Park and Prospect Park were designed by Olmstead.
Michael Quiñones, NBCT
www.socialstudiesguy.com
Image sources
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http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/toptenhaunted/toptenhauntedhouses/images/Thomas_A.
_Edison.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_72HXHkZzbsg/TIkUs79hbI/AAAAAAAAEOg/GR19TgMXxwU/s1600/pff910Sweatshop-1890.jpg
http://atp.cx/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Statue-of-Liberty.jpg
http://chestofbooks.com/reference/Wonder-Book-Of-Knowledge/images/The-Story-In-Elevators-AndEscalators-274.jpg
http://www.controlcomm.com/assets/old-telephone.jpg
http://shenews.projo.com/09/granville.jpg
http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/files/original/Jacob%20Riis.jpg
http://www.schrag.info/graphics/riis.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J2UnBibq6Y/TJ37qa3rHUI/AAAAAAAAAMA/kkXQ4a1bUa8/s1600/Jacob+Riis+court.jpg
http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/hotc/images/cache/olmsted_portrait.gif
http://connectere.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/jane-addams.jpg
http://www.hauntedhamilton.com/gotw_hullhouse2.jpg
http://hhsapush.wikispaces.com/file/view/hull2.jpg/110589965/hull2.jpg
http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/thomas-edison-birthday.jpg
http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Chinese-Exclusion-Act.jpg
http://www.starrtours.com/image_data/4703.jpg
http://www.pmcaregivers.com/images/ConeyIsland1903.jpg
http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/boxads/gangsny.jpg
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAEjourney.JPG