The New American City By 1900 – 40% of pop. lived in cities NYC pop. of 3.4 mil = total U.S. urban pop Growth from migration and immigration 11 million immigrants Immigrants & native-born compete Rapid growth sparked manufacturing & production but strained city services led to housing & sanitation problems Underscored class differences Reformers sought to improve cities & Americanize immigrants

Migrants and Immigrants Pull factors – good wages & broad range of jobs Migration from countryside & overseas Rising # of farmwomen came to cities Competing for jobs with immigrants, blacks, urban women “Old” & “New” Immigrants Old = Northern & Western Europe New = Southern & Eastern Both periods also saw growing numbers of Asians 1890 – 4 out of 5 in NYC foreign-born or children of foreign-born parents

Asian and European Immigrants Living in the Western Hemisphere and Hawaii in 1900

Percent of Foreign-born Whites and Native Whites of Foreign or Mixed Parentage in Total Population, by Countries, 1910 Source: D.W.Meinig, The Shaping of America—A Geographical Perspective of 500 Years of History. Yale University Press. Volume 3.

Migrants and Immigrants Push factors include overpop., crop failure & famine, religious persecution, violence, or economic hardships Many Italians & Chinese returned to their homelands after becoming successful in U.S. With no long-term residency plans, they frequently made little effort to assimilate Family members often waited in old country for family “breadwinner” to get a job & save $ to pay for passage of others Traveled to U.S. by ship Cramped, poor food, often poor sanitation Immigrants arrived tired, fearful, and often sick

Ellis Island Customs officials inspected newcomers’ health Those with contagious diseases refused admittance Difficult names frequently Anglicized Ellis Island built to accommodate huge #’s entering Angel Island performed same function on West Coast Those with money travel to other destinations in U.S. Poor immigrants remained in eastern cities (Boston, NYC, etc.)

NYC – Lower East Side of Manhattan

Adjusting to Urban Society Chain Migration and Culture Shock Ghettos and Ethnic Islands Often settled by nationality & even by village or region Speaking English provided an advantage Ethnic groups that formed a high percentage of a city’s pop. (e.g.. Irish in Boston) also had advantage Dominance of politics & churches helped in upward mobility Nativism was strong at start of 20 th Century

Fashionable Avenues & Suburbs “Nice” neighborhoods intermixed with slums Fashionable areas with good conditions & technology Contrasted sharply with trash, noise, etc. Those with enough $ moved out to emerging suburbs Stately homes, sprawling lawns, quiet Street cars allowed many to move further out from the city centers As cities expanded, they enveloped outlying areas into the city boundaries

Middle and Upper-Class Society and Culture Manners and Morals – Key Assumptions People could be improved through reform Hard work builds discipline and advances national progress Importance of good manners & cultivation of literature and art as marks of civilized society Good breeding & following Victorian Code The Cult of Domesticity Women responsible cultural improvement of family Middle- & Upper-class women devoted time & energy to decorating their homes Some focused on participating in reform movements, settlement house work and women’s club activities

Middle- and Upper-Class Society & Culture Thrifty consumers had to be convinced to spend Merchandisers stressed quality & low prices Products once made at home now purchased from stores Department Stores Giant stores with beautiful features Meant to create an exciting experience for shoppers Stores employed lower classes & attracted middle- & upper- The Transformation of Higher Education Wealthy donors endowed universities Collegiate football – popular but dangerous – a character- building activity for players – a fall ritual for fans 150+ new colleges – founded by wealthy donors, federal govt. programs, and religious denominations

Football

Universities Increased women’s enrollment Co-ed & Women’s Universities Formally educated women able to compete with men & break Victorian expectations Female enrollment rose from 30% to 71% btwn 1880 & 1900 Reforms in programs Greater focus on professional schools for law & medicine Deeper training in subjects key to the professions Professional training increased skill + trust by public Research Universities Wider variety of courses Faculty more involved in research in their fields

Working-Class Politics and Reform Political Bosses and Machine Politics Major influence over politics & city government Boss Tweed & Tammany Hall political machine – NYC Machines controlled taxes, licenses, contracts, etc. Wide-spread corruption – great efforts made to stop them Press & Reformers attack machine politics (Thomas Nast) Battling Poverty Some focused on improving conditions Others focused on moral reform – YMCA &YWCA New Approaches to Social Reform Salvation Army – offer food & shelter along with preaching The Moral-Purity Campaign – Anthony Comstock Fighting “vice” incl. obscenity, gambling, prostitution

Reform The Social Gospel Washington Gladden – true Christianity means fighting social injustice Walter Rauschenbusch – churches should unite to combat poverty & exploitation The Settlement-House Movement Hull House – Jane Addams Provide various social services for immigrants Schooling, medical care, recreation, etc. S.H. workers lived in neighborhoods in which they worked

Working-Class Leisure in the Immigrant City Working classes needed diversions Neighborhood streets were a gathering place Saloons were a place for men to gather to drink and socialize – to discuss politics The Rise of Professional Sports Rules of modern baseball developed – major league formed – profitable franchises in big cities Large fan followings – first sports pages in papers Boxing enjoyed a strong working-class following

Baseball

Baseball in the City Streets

Boxing

Entertainment Provides Escape Vaudeville Highly popular variety shows Amusement Parks Coney Island Dance Halls Ragtime Originated with black musicians in saloons & brothels Widely popular with working class but eventually a national sensation Scott Joplin - a major composer Music provides a challenge to Victorian propriety

Vaudeville

Cultures in Conflict The Genteel Tradition and Its Critics Literary conventions (rules) vs. gritty realism Stephen Crane – Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (slums) Mark Twain – Huckleberry Finn (South) Theodore Dreiser – Sister Carrie (end of innocence) Modernism in Architecture and Painting Some women reject “cult of domesticity” & Victorian Code Woman’s Christian Temperance Union fights against alcohol abuse and works toward better access to power by women Physical fitness – bicycling clubs Rising divorce rate

Education Public Education as an Arena of Class Conflict Reformers stressed punctuality, centralized administration, compulsory attendance, teacher tenure By 1900 – 31 states required attendance for kids 8-14 years old Some critics of formal public education Working class parents who relied on their kids’ labor Catholic immigrants who objected to protestant oriented public schools Upper-class parents who didn’t want their kids mixing with immigrant kids – willing to pay for private schooling