CHAPTER 20 IMMIGRATION AND THE GROWTH OF CITIES IMMIGRATION PATTERNS Many “old immigrants” who came to America during the 1800s were from northern Europe Old immigrants came from England, Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavia “New immigrants” who arrived during the late 1800s came from southern and eastern Europe New immigrants came from Greece, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Russia ARRIVING IN A NEW LAND Immigrants faced a difficult journey by ship to America Many traveled in steerage which was an area below a ship’s deck where steering mechanisms were located Tickets were cheap; many immigrants did not have a lot of money Cabins were hot, cramped, and foul-smelling Some immigrants died from disease due to these conditions ELLIS ISLAND Opened in 1892; located in New York Harbor Immigration center Officials turned away immigrants with contagious diseases or legal problems Less than 2 percent of arrivals were prevented from entering the country = we accepted many immigrants BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES Organizations set up by immigrant communities They offered immigrants help in cases of sickness, unemployment, or death Federal government did not provide much aid TENEMENTS Tenements were poorly built and overcrowded apartment buildings Fire escapes were often blocked or broken Many immigrants lived in these buildings Immigrants moved into neighborhoods with people from the same country in order to adjust to American life FINDING WORK Employers welcomed immigrant workers because they were willing to work for lower pay than native-born Americans Many immigrants worked in factories and sweatshops Sweatshops = textile (clothing) workplaces that had long hours, and hot, unhealthy working conditions OPPOSITION TO IMMIGRATION Nativists = Americans who believed that too many immigrants were coming into the country Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 = prevented Chinese from coming to America for 10 years; first time a law banned a specific nationality from entering the country Labor unions = opposed immigration because they feared immigrants would take jobs away from native-born Americans AFRICAN-AMERICANS In the 1890s, African-Americans moved from the rural South to northern cities They wanted to escape discrimination and find better economic opportunities GROWTH OF CITIES Urban = city Both immigrants and native-born Americans were moving to urban areas in record numbers during the late 1800s and early 1900s They were seeking job opportunities The large population of cities mean mass transit had to be provided MASS TRANSIT Mass transit = system of transportation created to move a large number of passengers Elevated trains and subways were used Suburban areas became connected with the city STEEL INDUSTRY New technologies in the steel industry during the late 1800s led to increased activity in the building industry Steel changed American architecture because it was used to build skyscrapers (city space was limited) Skyscrapers = tall buildings designed to increase building space MASS CULTURE Population boom led to the emergence of mass culture Mass culture = leisure and cultural activities shared by many people Examples = publishing, department stores (giant retail shops), world fairs, amusement parks (Coney Island) Widespread growth of publishing contributed to the formation of mass culture Joseph Pulitzer added a comic strip to New York World newspaper in 1896 in order to compete with other newspapers URBAN PROBLEMS Causes = Tenements were unsafe due to overcrowding, buildings with poor structures, unsanitary conditions, scarce running water, and poor ventilation Effects = diseases, such as typhoid, influenza, tuberculosis and cholera spread, high child death rates, fires spread, crime Jacob Riis = journalist and photographer who became famous for exposing the horrible conditions of NYC tenements Pollution was caused by smoke from a steelmaking district, especially in Pittsburgh, PA IMPROVING CITY LIFE City governments built water purification systems New York State Tenement House Act (1901) – new buildings had to have better ventilation and running water Settlement houses were built SETTLEMENT HOUSES Settlement houses = neighborhood centers in poor areas that offered education, recreation, and social activities They were needed because of overcrowding and poverty in cities They were privately funded Jane Addams – built the Hull House in 1889 which contributed to the survival of the immigrant population in Chicago Hull House inspired reform movements throughout the United States CHILD LABOR Florence Kelley = child labor reformer who visited sweatshops and wrote about their poor conditions She became the state of Illinois’ chief factory inspector and enforced the law Her efforts led to the passage of a factory law in Illinois in 1893 that required child workers to only work eight-hour days