** Capitalist Revolution “2nd Industrial Revolution” & “The Gilded Age” 1860s 1870 1890 1900 ** Capitalist Revolution Important things to understand about this era in U.S. History: ** Time of Individualism 1862 - Legislation developing the West: Homestead Act, Land Grant Act, Pacific Railway Act 1870’s and 1880’s - Settling the Plains 1860’s and 1870’s - “Rise of Big Business” – Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Morgan, Rockefeller, etc. 1870’s to 1890’s - American Politics / an Age of Corruption & the Political Urban Machine

Handout, “New Immigrants and Old” (1) What major differences between the “Old” and “New” immigrants stand out to you? (2) Looking at the immigration statistics, what numbers stand out to you, and looking at the total U.S. population below (say, in 1870 it’s 38.5 million people), how might this affect the United States? 1870 - 5,567,229 1880 - 6,679,943 1890 - 9,249,547 1900 - 10,341,276 1910 - 13,515,886 1920 - 13,920,692

At the turn of the century, most immigrants to the united States settled in cities because…

(1) Availability of large numbers of jobs (2) Excitement of city life

What is an immigrant? An immigrant is a person who once resided somewhere else and now lives in your country.

Why They Came? Push Factors - Farm poverty and worker uncertainty - Wars and compulsory military service - Political tyranny - Religious persecution - Population pressures Pull Factors - Plenty of land and work - Higher standard of living - Democratic political system - Opportunity for social advancement

What is Nativism? “Nativism” is a policy of favoring native inhabitants as opposed to immigrants

1890 is the “year of division” Why Nativism? Causes of nativist sentiment? (write these …) Old – Northern Europeans: Ireland, Germany, England, and Scandinavian countries. Before the Civil War (write this …) 1890 is the “year of division” New – Southeastern Europeans, mainly from Italy, Greece, Turkey, Austria-Hungary, and Russia, as well as Canada and China, but also record numbers of Irish & Germans By 1900 … By 1920 …

1890 is the “year of division” Why Nativism? Causes of nativist sentiment? (write these …) Old – Northern Europeans: Ireland, Germany, England, and Scandinavian countries. Before the Civil War (write this …) 1890 is the “year of division” New – Southeastern Europeans, mainly from Italy, Greece, Turkey, Austria-Hungary, and Russia, as well as Canada and China, but also record numbers of Irish & Germans By 1900 … By 1920 …

Cultural Differences between “Old” versus “New” immigrants … “Old” Immigrants were WASPs – White, Anglo-Saxon protestants - Newcomers needed to be “Americanized” - Immigration a “problem to be solved” “New” Immigrants were largely Catholic and Jewish - Resisted complete “Americanization”

Efforts to retain the Culture: “New” Immigrants Largely urban dwellers - By 1900, percentage of foreign born … Efforts to retain the Culture: (1) “Saloon culture” versus the “Sunday Blue Laws” / Puritan culture … (2) Practiced “Chain migration” … (3) Parochial Schools … (4) Settled in “Ethnic Enclaves” …

Age of Electricity Assembly Lines Factory Lighting Electric street cars Soon, other advances because of electricity

Age of Steel Bessemer Process … Railroads Farm Equipment Skyscrapers Suspension Bridges

Tenement houses

Dangerous living conditions – pg. 345-346

Dangerous living conditions – “Great Chicago Fire” (1871)

Child Labor – pg. 328, 395-396

Dangerous working conditions – pg. 327-328

Attractions of City Life – pg. 350-352 Ashley

Mass Transit & Technology Improving City Life – pg. 343-344 1 Jan 1883 - The Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, linking Manhattan to Brooklyn 1 Jan 1887 – First electric street car, Richmond, VA. 1890 – 1 in 3 American live in cities