Chapter 7
Immigrants & Urbanization
Section 1: The New Immigrants
I.
The Golden Door
A. Why
1. Escape difficult conditions: famine, religious persecution
2. Economic opportunity
B. Who
1. Europeans to East Coast
a. 20 Million btwn 1870-1920
i. Pre-1890: Western & Northern Europe
ii. Post-1890: Eastern & Southern Europe
b. Religious persecution: Jews specifically
c. Overpopulation in Europe
i. Land scarcity
2. Asians to West Coast
a. Search for gold
b. Laborers for RR
c. Japanese emigrate to Hawaii
i. 1898 – annexation of HI – many make the leap to West Coast
3. Latin America
a. Promise of economic prosperity
b. National Reclamation Act (1902) spurs massive migration to SW, Mexicans
C. What was life like?
1. Trouble getting here?
a. Steamship – 1 week from Europe, 3 weeks from Asia
i. Disease run rough shot in the cargo holds
b. Ellis Island, NY
i. Inspection site for new immigrants for Europe
 Physical examination, conviction free, ability to work, $25
 Language was never a requirement
 Only 2% were ever denied entry
c. Angel Island, San Fran.
2. Now the tough stuff.
a. Find a place to live, get a job, and learn the culture!
i. Language and religion united immigrants
b. Ethnic communities develop
i. Ppl “pooled” $$$, formed clubs, and published newspapers in native language
ii. Invention of the hyphen (Irish-American, Polish-American)
D. Restrictions on Immigration
1. Melting Pot v. Salad Bowl
a. MP def: a mixture of pple of different cultures and reaces who blend together by
abonding their native culture in favor of the new one.
b. Nativism: overt favorism towards native-born citizens
i. Preference of Anglo-Saxon immigrants
ii. Rejected primarily the religious differences!
 Protestants v. Roman Catholics/Jews
iii. American Protective Association (1887)
2. Congress passes 1st law (1897)
a. Literacy test for new immigrants
b. Vetoed by Pres. Cleveland
3. Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
a. Only Chinese students, teachers, merchants, tourists and gov’t officials allowed
b. Lasts until 1943
Section 2: The Challenges of Urbanization
I.
Urbanization
A. Opportunities
1. New technologies spur the growth of cities in the NE & Midwest
2. Immigrants
a. Cheapest, most convenient, unskilled laborers for factories
i. 1890 – 2xs as many Irish in NYC than Dublin, Ireland
ii. 1910 – 50% of pop. of top 18 US cities
b. Americanization movement: process of assimilating immigrants
i. Development of the American school system
 Subjects: citizenship, English literacy, history, govt, cooking, etiquette
ii. Many resist
 Ethnic communities develop programs to sustain their cultures
3. Rural population migrates to cities
a. Agricultural advances mean fewer ppl could work more land
i. Southern Af. Americans migrate to:
 Headed to Chicago & Detroit
 Often found conditions in cities just as bad if not worse
 Segregation & discrimination occurs at high levels
B. Problems
1. Housing
a. Options
i. Buy a house – often far from the city center – far from work
ii. Rent an apartment – often overcrowded – near work
iii. Row houses – turn of the century “townhomes”
iv. Tenements – multifamily dwellings that were often overcrowded and unsanitary
 Aka – the slums
 NYC passes laws to “clean-up” the slums
2. Transportation
a. Mass transit: moving large #s of ppl along fixed routes to cut costs of commuters
i. San Fran trolly system
ii. Boston “electric” subway
3. Water: Sanitary drinking water: key to controlling cholera & typhoid fever
4. Sanitation: horse manure, garbage in the streets
5. Crime: pickpockets, thieves
6. Fire:
a. Limited water suppl
b. Most major cities had large fires btwn 1870-80
i. Wooden buildings
ii. Kerosene heaters & lamps
iii. San Francisco & Chicago (chart p. 265)
c. Cincinnati est. first “professional” fire depart. (1853)
i. By 20th cen. Most major cities had est
C. Reformers
1. Social Gospel Movement
a. Def: salvation through service to the poor
b. Est. settlement houses
i. Centers w/in slums to provide assistance to the ppl, mainly immigrants
ii. Run by: females, middle-class
iii. To provide: education & social services
 Subjects: English, health/personal hygiene, painting
 Nurses were made available
2. Jane Addams & Ellen Gates Starr
a. Est. Hull House (1889)
3. Janie Porter Barrett
a. Est. Locust St. Social Settlement, Hampton VA
b. For Af. Am.
4. Turn of the cen. 400 settlement houses had been est.
Section 3: Politics in the Gilded Age
I.
Political Machines
A. Corruption: services to those who would provide financial or political support
1. Pyramid Scheme
a. Precinct Captains – who went door to door to gain support for a candidate
b. Ward Bosses – org. precinct captains
i. Provided services, favors, in exchange for votes
c. City Boss – est. political platform and org. ward bosses
i. Worked directly with the politicians
ii. Controlled gov’t appointments, business liscenses, and even court apptments
iii. Ex: Roscoe Conklin, NYC (p. 268), “Big Jim” Pendergast (Kansas City), William
M. Tweed (Tammany Hall – NYC)
d. Immigrants
i. Bosses & Captains helped accomplish naturalization, find housing & employment
2. Scandals
a. Election fraud
i. Registering “fake” names
b. Graft
i. Def: illegal use of political influence for personal gain
ii. Gain city contract, “over est.” cost, “pocket” surplus
iii. “Kick-back” profit to political machine
 Organized crime
B. Election of 1880
1. Civil Service replaces Patronage
a. Patronage def: the giving of gov’t jobs to ppl who had helped a candidate get elected
i. Andrew Jackson & the “spoils system”
b. Civil Service def: awarding gov’t jobs based on the merit of the applicant – the most
qualified person for the job.
2. Presidential Reform
a. Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes appts independents to his cabinent after 1876
i. Est commission to review patronage
ii. Fires 2 NYC boses
iii. Stalwarts – NYC machine – organizes opposition w/in Republican Party to Hayes
b. Republicans nominate James A. Garfield in 1880
i. Chester A. Arthur named VP – member of Stalwarts
ii. Elected and provides “reformers” with patronage
iii. Garfield assassinated in 1881 D.C. train station by un-happy Stalwart
c. Arthur assumes Presidency, Calls for reform
i. Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)
 Est. civil service commission to award jobs passed on civil service exams
II. Return of Business Influence
A. Election of 1884 results in Dem Grover Cleveland being elected
1. 1st time since 1856 – Buchanan
2. Seeks to lower tariffs to increase trade
a. Congress blocks
3. Tries to run for re-election in 1888
a. Rep. nominate Benjamin Harrison (grandson of Pres. William H. Harrison)
i. Financed by “big business”
ii. Wanted high tariffs in return
B. Cleveland wins pop vote; Harrison wins electoral college
1. Cleveland helps push through McKinley Tariff Act (1890)
a. Est. highest tariff in nation’s history
C. Cleveland wins 1892 election
1. Tariff lowered
D. William McKinley elected Pres. In 1896
1. Pushes through increased tariff law