America Moves to the City

The Urban Frontier 1900: NYC had 3.5 million people, 2 nd largest city in world Skyscraper allowed more people to live in a small area Elevator made skyscraper usable Americans were beginning to commute Mass-transit lines including subways and electric trolley lines

New Ways of Living Department stores attracted middle-class shoppers Supplied working-class jobs for women Waste disposal a new issue as goods came in throw-away containers Negatives: Criminal elements, insufficient sanitation facilities, slums, “dumbbell” tenements

The New Immigration 1880s: Immigrants came from southern and eastern Europe Italians, Croats, Greeks, Poles Largely illiterate and poor Preferred industrial jobs 1900: composed 66% of total inflow Lived in “Little Italys” and Little Polands

Southern Europe Uprooted Reasons for Emigrating Economic troubles Overcrowding & poverty Crop failures Persecution US painted as land of opportunity US companies advertised for low-wage workers in Europe Large number expected to work short-term in US, then return home to families

Reactions to the New Immigration Local officials promised jobs for votes Rauschenbush & Gladden Preached the “social gospel”, insisting that churches tackle burning social issues Jane Addams Established Hull House in Chicago, a settlement house – 1889 Located in poor neighborhood, offered education, counseling, and cultural activities

Advancement for Women Established settlement houses in major cities Lobbied for prohibition of child labor Over a million joined the workforce in 1890s Native women worked in white-collar jobs as secretaries, store clerks, social workers Immigrant women worked in industry

Narrowing the Welcome Mat New immigration created worry that old Anglo- Saxon stock would be outbred and outvoted Immigrants worked for lower wages American Protective Association (APA—1887) Urged voting against Catholic candidates 1882—Congress banned immigration of paupers, criminals, convicts Expanded to include insane, polygamists, prostitutes, alcoholics, anarchists

Churches Confront the Urban Challenge Many worried about focus on materialism Immigration led to growth in Catholics and Jews 150 denominations, 2 new faiths Salvation Army—1879, opened soup kitchens Christian Science—1879, relief from disease through prayer

Darwin Disrupts the Churches On the Origin of Species (1859)—stated that humans had evolved from lower life forms Cast serious doubts on literal interpretation of Bible Created rifts in churches and colleges

The Lust for Learning Public education gained popularity post-war By 1900—around 6000 high schools Teacher-training schools expanded Cities generally provided better facilities Chautauqua Movement—1874 Series of nationwide public lectures Courses for home study Focused on adult education

Booker T. Washington and Education for Black People Tuskegee Institute (1881): taught black students useful trades Avoided issue of social equality, but turned to segregation for economic independence –separate black communities George Washington Carver—became agricultural chemist by discovering uses for peanuts W.E.B. Du Bois—disagreed with Washington demanded complete equality for blacks Helped found NAACP

Hallowed Halls of Ivy Morrill Act – 1862 Gave states land to sell to raise money for education Many colleges & universities were established Started accepting minorities & women

Private Philanthropy Many industrial millionaires donated money to educational facilities —gave away $150 million Cornell (1865), University of Chicago(1892) Increase in professional and technical schools Johns Hopkins (1876) Americans no longer had to go to Europe for quality higher education

The March of the Mind “elective” system gaining popularity over classical education Medical schools resulted in improved public health

The Appeal of the Press Public libraries established Carnegie donated $60 million for libraries across the country Newspapers turned to feature articles and sensationalism Simply written, human-interest stories Pulitzer leader in techniques of sensationalism, colored comics Hearst built up newspaper chains starting with The San Francisco Examiner in 1887

Yellow Journalism Yellow journalism referred to sensationalistic stories in Pulitzer’s papers Flair for scandal and rumor

Apostles of Reform New York Nation created by Edwin Godkin (1865) Crusaded for civil service reform, honesty in government, moderate tariff Henry George’s Progress and Poverty linked the growth of progress with the growth of poverty

Postwar Writing Horatio Alger Wrote juvenile fiction with virtue, honesty, industry being rewarded with success Walt Whitman Poetry volume Leaves of Grass “Oh, Captain! My Captain!” on Lincoln’s assassination Emily Dickinson Reclusive poet known only after her death

Literary Landmarks Romantic sentimentality gave way to rugged realism reflecting materialism of industrialized society Kate Chopin, Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Henry James, Jack London African-American Writers Paul Laurence Dunbar and Charles W. Chestnutt used black dialect and folklore to capture richness of southern black culture Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie offended moral standards and pulled from circulation

The New Morality Woodhull and Claflin’s Weekly shocked society with free love and feminist leanings Anthony Comstock confiscated “obscene” material from individuals and businesses “New morality” reflected higher divorce rates, spreading use of birth control, frank discussions on taboo topics

Families and Women in the City Urban environments difficult on families Cities emotionally isolating Dictated changes in work habits and family size Most family members worked Larger families meant more mouths to feed Women growing more independent in cities

Women’s Suffrage Carrie Chapman Catt Linked ballot to traditional roles as wives and mothers in the city Wyoming Territory first to grant unrestricted suffrage to women in 1869 By 1890 most states allowed women to control/own property after marriage Black women excluded from ranks of women suffragists Ida B. Wells worked on antilynching crusade and helped launch black women’s club movement

Prohibition of Alcohol and Social Progress Liquor consumption increased post-war Women’s Christian Temperance Union (1874) Anti-Saloon League (1893) Success with state-wide prohibition ASPCA (1866) American Red Cross (1881) Clara Barton

Artistic Triumphs Winslow Homer ( ) Rugged realism in seascapes Augustus Saint-Guadens ( ) Robert Gould Shaw memorial in Boston Popular music NYC’s Metropolitan Opera House 1883 Spirituals led to new strains of music in blues, jazz, and ragtime

The Business of Amusement Variety of diversions including lodges, vaudeville & minstrel shows, theatre, circus Baseball and football gained in popularity with creation of professional leagues Basketball created by James Naismith in 1891 as a indoor winter sport

Overflow crowd at Baltimore watching Orioles versus Boston Beaneaters, 1897 An overflow crowd watches the Baltimore Orioles play the Boston Beaneaters. Nestled in among the row houses, urban stadiums like this one drew huge crowds. (Library of Congress) Overflow crowd at Baltimore watching Orioles versus Boston Beaneaters, 189 Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.