Gilded Age Urbanization Notes

Urbanization The movement of people from farms and rural areas to the cities. In 1860 15% of the US population lived in the city. By 1890 45% of the US population lived in the city.

Causes of Urbanization Industrial growth Lots of jobs available Immigration New Class Evolves-The Middle Class- Not poor, not rich, away from negatives of both Appealed to everyone but hard to attain Resources/Goods Prices Dropping iii. Because everyone was farming and producing and when you produce more of a product, the price goes down.

The Cities Explode 1870-1890 New York 1,478,103 3,437,202 Chicago 298,977 1,698,575 Philadelphia 674,022 1,293,697 St Louis 351,189 575,238 Boston 250,526 560,892 San Francisco 149,473 342,782 New Orleans 191,418 287,104 Denver 4,759 133,859 Los Angeles 5,728 103,479 Memphis 40,266 102,320

Negatives of Urbanization The poor population explodes Forced people to live in tenements Cities are not ready for the population i. No running water ii. No underground sewers iii. Not enough money to pick up garbage d. High disease rate i. Typhoid, Cholera, Tuberculosis

Child Labor Nearly 2 million children under the age of 15 were working in 1900 Average work wee: 59 hours Children were typically paid half the wage of an adult

Why Child Labor? High poverty in the US Families needed the money Kids would take the jobs nobody wanted Education was for the wealthy The jobs had to be done by somebody

Positives of Urbanization Cities grew up (skyscrapers) Parks created within cities NY Central Park Boston Commons World’s Fair invented showing off architecture advances Street cars (pulled by horses) Cable cars (pulled by underground pulley) Trolleys (powered by electric cables) Subways (underground rail line) NY East River Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge Once cities and families become established, public education begins to change Emphasis will be to build high schools (100s in 1865. 12,000 by 1914)