Unit 1: The Gilded Age and the Industrialization of the United States PowerPoint #2

Daily Essential Questions: 1. How did American urban (city) life change between 1875-1914? With regard to immigrants? With regard to cities? 2. How did politics change during the Gilded Age?

How were the immigrants different in the late 1800s? Old Immigrants (pre-1870s) 1600-1830s - Protestants from North West Europe 1840-50s, German & Irish Catholics Families to settle farms Had money, a skill, or an education Children blended into society. “New” Immigrants (post-1870s) Mainly Catholics or Jews from Southern and Eastern Europe (Italy, Poland) – make up 70% of immigrants after 1900. Attracted to cities (vs. farms) Poor & unskilled There was a fear these new immigrants would destroy American culture. Sought ways to participate in the democratic process. 3

How were the immigrants different in the late 1800s? Old Immigrants (pre-1870s) 1600-1830s - Protestants from North West Europe 1840-50s, German & Irish Catholics Families to settle farms Had money, a skill, or an education Children blended into society. “New” Immigrants (post-1870s) Mainly Catholics or Jews from Southern and Eastern Europe (Italy, Poland) – make up 70% of immigrants after 1900. Attracted to cities (vs. farms) Poor & unskilled There was a fear these new immigrants would destroy American culture. Sought ways to participate in the democratic process. 5

The foreign-born population of the U. S The foreign-born population of the U.S. nearly doubled between 1870 and 1900. 6

What was it like when a new immigrant arrived? Processed at stations, - Ellis Island in NY Harbor or Angel Island in San Francisco Bay. Europeans – primarily at Ellis Island Chinese and other Asians – Angel Island Lived in cities in Ethnic ghettos. (Little Italy, Chinatown) Nativism - hostility from native-born white Americans People voted for those who helped them find jobs such as neighborhood and ward bosses! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGkqh-iwS28 Ellis Island – What it means today. 5min https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8bPDdNRoxc Actual footage of immigrants – no sound

How did Congress start to restrict immigration to the US?. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act prohibited immigration and limited the rights of Chinese immigrants. Did not allow the naturalization of Chinese residents. Another law prohibited the immigration of criminals, paupers, anyone likely to need public assistance. 8

What is urbanization? The movement to cities! In 1860 - only 16 % live in towns or cities Today appx. 80%! By 1900, 32 %—15 million Americans—lived in cities of more than 50,000. 9

NAME OF CITY POPULATION IN 1870 POPULATION IN 1900 POPULATION IN 1920 Boston 250,525 560,892 748,060 Chicago 298,977 1,698,575 2,701,705 Los Angeles 5,728 102,479 576,673 New York 1,478,103 3,437,202 5,620,048 Philadelphia 1,293,687 1,350,000 1,823,779 Pittsburgh 86,075 321,616 588,343 San Francisco 149,473 342,782 506,676 Seattle 1,107 237,194 315,312

What problems did rapid population growth cause in cities? Neighborhoods -overcrowded. Poor workers lived in crowded tenements – little sanitation, often dangerous, crime. Unpaved streets. Disease. This leads to…. City sanitation – garbage men! Firefighters and more police. Electric streetlights for safety. New transportation – streetcars, trolleys

What advantages did cities offer to the middle class? More money for some led to an increase in the standard of living which led to… conspicuous consumerism and mass culture Shopping in department stores Wearing fashionable clothing Amusement Parks – Coney Island Circuses and Buffalo Bill’s Wild Wild West Show Vaudeville shows and Ragtime bands Baseball, Boxing, Horse Racing and other sports 2. More public education – literacy rates increased to almost 90% by 1900. 3. Better sanitation and health

The literacy rate climbed to nearly 90 percent by 1900. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRhjqqe750A&t=355s Crash Course 12min

EQ #2. How did politics change during the Gilded Age?

What are examples of political corruption? 1. Congress passed few laws between 1877 and 1900. Neither political party achieved control of both the White House and Congress for more than two years in a row. Presidents during the Gilded Age were elected only by slim margins. This made it difficult to pass new laws. 2. Corruption plagued national politics as many officials accepted bribes. Examples: 1872-3 - Credit Mobilier Scandal – Railroad company sold shares to politicians who then approved government funds to build more railroads – which made the politicians money. 1875 - Whiskey Ring – Whiskey Makers around the country bribed govt. officials so they would not have to pay whiskey taxes. 3. The spoils system – in which party supporters received government jobs regardless of their qualifications, shifted power to a few.

4. President James Garfield was assassinated by a man who believed the Republican Party owed him a job SO…. In 1883, President Chester A. Arthur signed into law the Pendleton Civil Service Act, which established a merit-based system for government employment. (To try to put an end to the Spoils System) President Garfield 20th President March 1881 – Sept. 1881 President Arthur 21st President Sept. 1881 – March 1885

5. Local Politics – Political Machines – organizations that provided social services and jobs in exchange for votes. Most Famous - Tammany Hall led by Boss Tweed – use fraud and corruption to gain power and make money. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YildL_ilQFY Boss Tweed 9min

6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spgdy3HkcSs Crash Course Gilded Age Politics 13min

What does Gilded Age mean? In his 1873 novel, The Gilded Age, Mark Twain satirically depicted American society as gilded, or having a rotten core covered with gold paint. Historians call the late 19th century (the late 1800s) the Gilded Age. What do you think?