1. Immigration and Urbanization, Late 19th century

2. Immigration Changing patterns, late 19th C.
Increasing scale – biggest in relative terms
More diverse origins
Increasingly from E. Europe, S. Europe
Growing contrast w/ W. European roots
Catholics, Orthodox, Jews
Latin-based and Slavic languages
Cyrillic alphabets
Increasingly wage workers more than farmers

3. Immigration Changing patterns, late 19th C.
Large numbers of “sojourners”
Return migrants, sometimes cyclical
Did not intend to stay permanently
Majority of some groups
Slavic immigrants, for example
Goal: social mobility back home
U.S. one of many endpoints in Americas
Argentina: 2/3 of Italian emigrants
Labor shortage in industrializing countries

5. Sources of Immigration from Europe, 1860-1900

8. Immigration
Two main historical myths/models
Melting Pot
Mosaic

9. Immigration “Melting Pot” model/myth Changing definition
Today: emphasizes diversity
19th century: emphasized assimilation
19th century “nativist” idea
Immigrants merge with native-born
Immigrants blend into Amer. society
Differences disappear, the sooner the better
“American” = English speaking, W.A.S.P.

10. Immigration “Melting Pot” model/myth
Changing definition of “white”/“American”
Irish and Germans become white
Italian Americans created Columbus Day
In contrast to “more foreign” immigrants
Assumes: some more “foreign” than others
Assumes: some more “radical” than others
Policy: accept the easily assimilated, reject the un-assimilable

11. Immigration “Mosaic” model/myth Immigrants reproduce their origins
Maintain difference, resist assimilation
Chinatown, Little Italy, Little Manila
Representatives of home country
Differences add to diversity over time
Reality: enormous pressures to change
Reality: large generational differences
Reality: immigrants not representative

12. Immigration Neither model completely accurate
Enormous generational differences
Both assimilation AND distinction
Not just top-down cultural dominance (melting pot)
Not just cultural independence (mosaic)
Most common: cultural hybrids
“Exotic”  mainstream
Spaghetti, hot dogs, pizza, tacos
Ethnic holidays  national holidays
St. Patrick’s Day, Columbus Day

14. “A National Menace,” 1903

15. Urbanization Incr. percentage live in cities Cities getting bigger
1920 U.S. Census:
50/50 urban/rural split
(“urban” = 10,000 people)

16. Urbanization Some of densest population in history
1890, NYC south of Wall Street: 1.5 million people
“Urban planning” in infancy
Few municipal agencies in 1890
No blanket coverage of police, fire, sanitation
Sometimes private police and firefighters
Poor sanitation
NYC in 1900: 100,000 horses
2.5 millions pounds of manure daily
“Clean” streets = neat piles
Replaced by cars, buses, trains

17. Urbanization “Urban planning” in infancy
Few zoning laws, building regulations
Running water, sewer optional
Unregulated living conditions
Services dependent on neighborhood politicians
Traffic control a novelty
1000’s of deaths annually from horse vs. pedestrian accidents

18. Downtown Chicago, 1909

19. Urbanization
Urban problems a main focus of the Progressive movement,
New professionals and experts
Social work
“Clean up” the cities
Sanitation
Politics
Municipal services

20. Urbanization and Technological Change
Stronger, cheaper steel
Skyscraper architecture
Shift from stone and brick to steel frames
Steel stronger, lighter, more flexible than stone
Entirely new shapes and scale for buildings
Mass-produced bicycles, automobiles
Suspension bridges – Brooklyn Bridge
Elevators
Social change: higher floors are better
Before elevators: lower floors are better
Electricity