1. Life in the Cities
8-3

2. City Growth 1880 rural population = 74% 1910s rural population = 54%
Great Migration of southern blacks
2 phases (1890, 1910s) – movement of southern blacks to northern and Midwestern cities.
Advances in transportation
Suburbs – Kingwood
Skyscrapers & elevators
Buildings can be taller and cites can be more dense

4. Where do poor people live?
Tenements
Low-cost apartment buildings designed to house as many families as the owner could pack in
Severe overcrowding
Few trees, little grass
Dark, foul air from coal engines & boilers
Open sewers attracted rats (diseases)
Small fires become large fires quickly
Contagious diseases spread easily

5. “Late one night, when we were all in bed,
Mrs. O'Leary lit a lantern in the shed. Her cow kicked it over,
Then winked her eye and said,
"There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight!"

13. How can we improve this? “Lack of ventilation = main problem”
Solution = dumbbell tenements
Court wasted because of trash

15. Do we just not know about it?
Uncle Tom’s Cabin (slaves)
A Century of Dishonor (Indians)
How the Other Half Lives (urban poor)
Jacob Riis, reporter, publishes book in 1890
Describes living conditions in cities
Led to legislation to improve tenements

17. New Entertainment
chapter 9, section 2

18. Flowchart

19. Vaudeville / Minstrel Show
Inexpensive variety show
Comic sketches (racial/ethnic humor), song/dance, magic acts
Minstrel Shows
Blackface (perpetuation of black stereotypes)

24. Vaudeville and Minstrel Shows
Vaudeville – inexpensive variety shows, racial/ethnic humor
Minstrel Shows –
Performed in blackface and perpetuated black stereotypes