Urbanization and Reform in the Gilded Age Ch. 8, Sec 3-4

Urbanization Movement of people to cities. – Moved from farms to cities. – Immigrants tended to settle in cities. Public transportation developed. – Trolleys, cable cars, subways, later buses. Suburbs developed. First skyscrapers built. – Led to first elevators.

1 st skyscraper – Home Insurance Building

Living Conditions Some lived in factory towns, most lived in tenements. – Low-cost apartments, usually overcrowded. Slum areas: overcrowded, dirty, open sewers, rats, stray animals, air pollution, disease, fires a huge danger. – Led to creation of dumbell tenements. Narrower in middle to allow light & air to inside rooms. – Led to better health care, clean water.

Politics in Cities Fierce competition for control of city gov’ts. – Led to creation of Political Machines. Unofficial organization designed to keep a political party in power. Machine would hand out jobs and favors to citizens. – Citizens were expected to vote for machine bosses. – Could also bribe machine for favors.

Reform Movements Many and with varied goals. – Motivated by religion, conscience, desire to help others. Some helped poor and needy. Some tried to alter behavior. Some tried to halt immigration.

New York Charity Organization Society. – Kept records on who received what help. Could determine “worthy” and “unworthy” needy. – Expected immigrants to assimilate. Social Gospel Movement – Based out of churches. – Applied Gospel of Christ to charity. – Tried to fix root causes of alcoholism, poverty, gambling. – Social Gospel Movement led to Settlement Houses.

Josephine Lowell-Founder of COS

Settlement Houses. – Started in USA by Jane Addams in Hull House. – People in neighborhood could come. – Attend cultural events, take classes. – Had child-care centers, playgrounds, clubs, summer camps for kids. – Very helpful to poor and immigrants. – Settlement houses sprang up around the country.

Jane Addams Hull House

Nativism Movement. – Favoring native-born Americans over immigrants. – Anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic. – Led to Chinese Exclusion Act of 1884, repeal of Contract Labor Act (allowed employers to recruit foreign labor). Temperance Movement. – Campaign to eliminate alcohol consumption. – Supported Prohibition. – Led by Prohibition Party, Women’s Christian Temperance Union, Anti-Saloon League. Kansan Carrie Nation used hatchet.

Carrie Nation

Purity Crusaders. – Against vice – immoral or corrupt behavior. – Fought against alcohol, gambling, pornography, abortion, birth control, political corruption. – Achieved passage of Comstock Law-prevented sending of obscene material through mail. Including info on birth control.