How did the nation grow and change during the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries? VUS.8a

There were four major ways that the U.S. grew and changed during this period: Westward movement Immigration Growth of cities Admission of new states

Westward movement After the Civil War, settlers moved west to claim land in the huge area between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. In these huge pieces of open land, cowboys herded cattle. They did not have fenced land, so the only way to herd these cattle to market was to have huge cattle drives across these hundreds of miles.

Westward Movement Because of the Civil War, many people had their homes destroyed. One way to start over was to take advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862 an act of the U.S. government giving free land to people who moved west to settle on and farm the land. Many of the people who tried this were Southerners and African Americans.

Westward Movement New technology made living out west easier and more possible: New railroads made it possible to travel out west and get one’s crops to market easier.

Westward Movement The mechanical reaper was a farm technology that made it possible to cut grain stalks faster than any person could cut. With inventions such as these, the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains became places of ranches, towns, and farms instead of the land of the Native Americans.

A Midwestern Gamble by Cyrus McCormick Source: The mechanical reaper was an important step in the mechanization of agriculture during the nineteenth century. Before the reaper, the amount of grain that could be cut by hand during the short harvest season limited both food supply and farm sizes. McCormick's reaper would win international acclaim at the first world's fair in London's Crystal Palace, in It would also free farm laborers to work in factories in the expanding industrial revolution. In the late 1840s, McCormick made a fateful business decision, moving to the young town of Chicago in America's western frontier and gambling that America's agricultural future was in the nation's prairie states: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and the territories that would become Nebraska, Kansas, and Minnesota. His venture would repay him with a fortune.industrial revolutionChicago

Westward Movement The Native Americans were moved by force from their land, to make way for these new American settlers and business people. The U.S. government began to tell them where they could settle. This led to many unpleasant relationships that continue to affect our nation today.

Immigration – another method of growth and change for our nation Before 1871, most immigrants to the U.S. came from northern and western Europe: Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. From 1871 until about 1921, most immigrants came from southern and eastern Europe: Italy, Greece, Poland, Russia, Hungary/Yugoslavia, China, and Japan. All of these immigrants came to the U.S. looking for a better life and freedom.

Immigration Many Chinese immigrants helped to build the Transcontinental Railroad.

Immigration Slavs (from Yugoslavia/Hungary), Italians, and Polish immigrants often found work in coal mines. All types of immigrants worked in textile and steel mills in New York City and other urban areas. working conditions were generally poor extremely low pay dangerous working conditions.

Immigration If entering the U.S. from the Atlantic Ocean side, immigrants came through Ellis Island in New York City, seeing the Statue of Liberty.

Immigration At Ellis Island, they were inspected and either approved or not approved for entry into the country.

Assimilation Immigrants newly arrived began the process of “assimilation”, or learning to live in a place unfamiliar to them and adopt the new ways. often settled in areas with immigrants like themselves set to work learning English, adopting American customs, and becoming American citizens sending their children to public schools was a large part of helping the immigrants become part of the “melting pot” of the U.S.

Still, there was fear of these new immigrants. Many Americans feared that the new immigrants would take jobs for lower pay take jobs away from Americans already settled here This led to hostile feelings and resentment. This prejudice also came from religious and cultural differences.

Immigration Sometimes this prejudice and fear led to new laws that were harmful to immigrants. These laws drastically cut off immigration during their time periods. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Immigration Restriction Act of 1921

The growth of cities was another way the nation grew and expanded. Many cities grew due to factories and transportation centers being located in them. Including: Detroit Chicago Cleveland Pittsburgh New York City

Growth of cities Workers, including immigrants, often lived in crowded tenement houses with poor sanitation.

This is likely the entire living space for this family of seven. Bathrooms were outside and shared with the other families in the tenement. This father probably has a job with very poor conditions and pay.

This fast growth of cities led to a need for more public works sewage and water systems streetcars or trolleys (New York City began work on its subway system at this time)

Streetcars were a common form of public transportation. Poor people in cities could not afford and did not have space for a horse, an automobile (when it was invented), or any other type of transportation.

The admission of new states expanded our nation. As people moved and settled in the west, new states were added. By the early 20 th century, all of the continental states had been added, and we had 48 states, and so we had 48 stars on our flag.