US History Chapter 5 Section 3 Life at the Turn of the 20th Century

Main Idea A new wave of immigrants came to America in the late 1800s and settled in rapidly changing cities where political corruption was common and minorities faced discrimination

Reading Focus Who were the “New Immigrants” of the late 1800s and what challenges did they face? What was the urban life like at the turn of the 20th century? How did political scandals lead to reform in the late 1800s? What types of segregation and discrimination did African-Americans and other minorities face?

New Immigration Europe US Immigration Patterns 1800-1880: “Old immigrants” 10 million from North / West Europe (China too) 1880 – 1910 “New Immigrants” 18 Million from South / East Europe (Russia too) By 1910- 1 / 7 were foreign born Greece, Italy, Poland, Russia New Immigrants left Europe to escape poverty and minimal economic opportunity 1892- Ellis Island became the immigration station for the East while Angel Island became the immigration station for the West Despite the great opportunity for a better life, many immigrants faced terrible living conditions but did live in ethnic neighborhoods

Angel Island

Ellis Island

Angel Island Asians Ellis Island Europeans

Tenements

Reaction to Immigrants West Coast- Strong prejudice towards Asians results in Congress passing the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882: * Banned immigration for ten years * Barred Chinese immigrants from becoming US citizens Congress also passed a mandated Literacy test to ensure immigrants knew how to read English (not necessarily speak it) Some Americans tried to “Americanize” the immigrants or assimilate them into society - Schools and volunteer organizations taught citizenship to immigrants

Urban Life in America Classes of People: Late 1800s- cities began to change and become more crowded forcing architects to “Build upwards” (Taller buildings were called Skyscrapers) Classes of People: Wealthy- Made money through business and industry and lived luxurious lifestyles Middle Class- Corporate employees such as lawyers, accountants, engineers, managers Working Class- People lived in poverty with low wages and run down living conditions 1883 London Settlement idea spread to the United States- Jane Adams and Ellen Starr founded first home in Chicago 1889 (language courses and job training courses)

Political Scandal and Reform Because most major cities had such problems such as crime, poor housing, and poor sanitation, some cities gave control to “Political Machines” Many Party Bosses were corrupt and showed favoritism and accepted bribes Boss Tweed (William Marcy Tweed) of NYC was one who got caught and sent to prison Even President Ulysses S. Grant’s Administration faced allegations of scandal when Credit Mobilier (Company set up railroad) was actually a scheme to funnel money to the stockholders….some members of congress 1883- President Chester Arthur passed the Civil Service Act which mandated that federal promotions were based off merit (Still in effect today)

Farmers Reform Movement Late 1800s was a trying time for farmers mainly because crop prices were falling and debt was increasing Farmers decide to organize and first national group was called “National Grange” with the goal of persuading congress to regulate railroad lines Supreme court passed Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 which mandated fair railroad rates Farmers Alliance- Desired the government to print more money > Paper money was originally redeemable for gold or silver > 1873- Congress put US Dollar on gold standard which reduced the amount of money in circulation > This hurt farmers which sparked them to want more money backed by silver Farmers Alliance eventually led to the formation of the Populist Party

Segregation and Discrimination Some white southerners seemed to ignore the 14th and 15th Amendment and were determined to keep blacks from voting: Poll Tax REQUIRED TO VOTE Literacy tests Jim Crow Laws FORCED SEGREGATION Jim Crow Laws- south passed these laws that forced segregation in certain public places “Separate but equal” (Railroads, schools, restaurants) “Plessy vs Ferguson” 1896- Supreme Court upheld segregation of a black man riding in a white mans train car Undesired behavior among blacks also could result in “Lynch Mobs” 1882-1892 900 blacks killed Decision allowed segregation in south for 60 years

Opposers of Discrimination Booker T. Washington W.E.B.Dubois Believed blacks had to accept segregation for the moment Wanted to improve skills for blacks to improve success Founded Tuskegee Institute Believed blacks should strive for full rights immediately Founded the Niagra Movement in 1905 Later formed the NAACP

Other Ethnic Groups that Faced Discrimination Hispanic Americans Asian Americans Native Americans Many faced strong anti-Mexican feelings Some cities required Chinese Americans to live in segregated neighborhoods Living on reservations limited their economic growth and provided few opportunities Most were farmers but could not find jobs Limits were placed on the amount of Asian immigrants that could enter the country Many Indians did not have citizenship until passage of the “Indian Citizenship Act of 1924” Jobs found were low paying ones 1900s- California banned marriages between whites and Asian-Americans