AP US History
Chapter 18 Questions
1) What were the positives and negatives of urbanization?
Positives:
 Different ethnic interactions - diversity
 Women gained more independence – working women
 Inspired building of new cities
 Advancements in technology
o Skyscrapers with elevators
 Homosexuals were able to create their own communities where they were accepted
 Wealthy were inspired to help fund creations of public places – public parks, libraries
o New York’s Central Park built in late 1850s
 Mass transit – cable cars, subways, trains
Negative:
 Men’s authority were challenged in the family
 Poor people had to live in tenements with poor conditions – dark, crowded, small
 Nativism against immigrants
o Chinese Exclusion Act
o Immigrants created more competition for jobs -> lower wages
 Pollution of cities
 Boss Rule – politicians took advantage of large immigration voting population -> corruption
2) During the “Age of the City,” how did American consumer culture and leisure culture each change?
Leisure:
 Leisure time = result of laziness b/c people were busy w/ work -> changed to more common
b/c people had more time away from work
 Free time spent at home -> more time spent in new public places
o Parks
o Spectator Sports + Gambling
o Shopping
o Theatres
 Leisure time became divided by gender/ethnicity
o Men gravitated towards more violent entertainment
o Women went shopping, teatime
o Different ethnic groups did things together
Consumer:
 Women became main consumers because bought groceries
o More involved in public life
o Took part in advocating better working conditions for women workers
 Shopping became an exciting, social event – meet up w/ friends, had tea/lunch
 Department stores and chain stores developed
o More variety for lower prices
o Created more jobs – especially for women
o Independent, smaller stores suffered and lost customers
 Mail-order catalogs
o Isolated farmers in the west were introduced to modern American culture
o Expanded markets
3) What is the difference between popular culture and high culture? Explain with specific details and
examples.
Popular Culture:
 Working class – middle class
 Saloons
o Meeting places for men to socialize
o Politicians took advantage of large crowds to influence voters
o Dangerous and violent places, prostitution
 Boxing matches
High Culture
 Upper class
 Theaters, resorts, country houses
4) What changes in education occurred during this “Age of the City?”
 Spread of primary and secondary education
o More public high schools
o Rural areas still lacked behind
o Many blacks couldn’t go to school at all
 “Land-Grant” institutions – creation of new colleges/universities through land donated by the
government
 More women colleges – opened opportunities to women
 Wealthy took advantage to publicize family name and donated money to fund the creation of
major colleges
5) How was urbanization related to industrialization?
 Industrialization led to urbanization because people moved to the cities in order to find jobs
in the ever-growing industrial cities
o Rural women left farms because new technology and mass production replaced their
jobs
 New technology such as the development of skyscrapers and elevators inspired people to
improve cities and added to the desire to move to the city
o “City Beautiful” Movement – supported improving cities so that they were orderly
and admirable places