1. Immigration and Urbanization 1870 – 1900 America

2. Immigrants – Where and Why? 1870 – 1900, the U.S. grows from 38.5 million people to 76.2 Almost 30 million are immigrants Irish Potato Famine 25% of immigrants are from Germany Japan and China Russia expels Jews Klassen family leaving the Ukraine for the U.S.

3. The Island Ellis Island, N.Y. & Angel Island, San Francisco More than 18 mil. immigrants processed here. Only about 2% are turned away

4. Differences Assimilate? Turner’s “Frontier Thesis” – Becoming more American Melting Pot – a mixture of people, cultures and races and abandon native languages and customs Many do not wish to give up identities Native-Born English Language Protestant Anglo-Saxon ethnicity and similar New Immigrants Foreign Language Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, etc. Different skin tones

5. Opposition Nativism – Favoritism toward native-born Americans Anti-immigrant groups (like the KKK) thought outsiders undermined America Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Gentlemen’s Agreement w/ Japan

6. Final Destination 1/3 of the immigrants who came to the United States stayed in the city. Most scattered across the country.

7. Cities Immigrants radically changed the face of the nation’s cities. Before the Civil War, cities were compact. Buildings were only 5 stories tall. Afterwards, the percentage of Americans living in the cities doubled. Cities grew upward.

8. Urban Living Conditions “Slums” – Immigrants lived in buildings abandoned by middle- class residents and converted into multifamily units. Many tended to settle with others from the same country creating the ethnic sections that can still be found today.

9. Problems Raw sewage and garbage littered the streets. Quality Water? Fire ( e.g. – Chicago Fire) Crime Contagious diseases Babies were especially susceptible.

12. A typical tenement house on the corner of Ontario and Monroe streets in Toledo, Ohio.

13. Solutions City Planners Arrive Parks – e.g. Central Park Skyscrapers (Steel) Zoning