Download Chapter 21: Changes in American Life, 1880-1914

Chapter 21: Changes in American Life, 1880-1914
I. Cities Grow and Change
A. Industrialization Expands Cities
-the rise in industrialization also moved people into cities
-industries located in cities because of good transportation and potential workers
-this process is called urbanization
-people migrated to cities from other countries and from the countryside
B. Technology Changes City Life
-the elevator and improvement in steel made sky scrapers possible
-this allowed city populations to grow
C. The Streetcar City
-By 1900 electric streetcars replaced horse-drawn carriages to move people
around cities
-cities like New York began creating subways
-streetcars and subways allowed cities to expand greatly in size
-they no longer needed to be walkable
D. Urban Disasters and Slums
-overcrowding became a problem
-many were forced to live in rundown tenements
-many tenements had no running water
-Slums developed
E. Reformers Attack Urban Problems
-some tried to tackle the many problems of the Age
-The Social Gospel movement tried to improve the life of the poor
-They tried to abolish child labor and other labor problems
-they tried to offer a better alternative to tenements called settlement houses
-these houses provided services like daycare
-The most famous was Hull House in Chicago, run by Jane Adams
F. Political Machines Run Cities
-Political machines were political groups that held power over a city
-often they got votes by handing out favors like jobs or food
-they often cheated in elections and accepted bribes
-Tammany Hall was the most famous political machine
-led by William Marcy Tweed (“Boss Tweed”)
-despite the corruption at times the political machines accomplished some good in
cities
II. The New Immigrants
A. The New Immigrants
-by 1900 much immigration had shifted from northern to southern Europe
-these groups were called the new immigrants
-many came from Italy and eastern Europe
-the first stop for immigrants was often Ellis Island
-here immigrants got health exams and were interviewed
-On the west coast immigrants were processed at Angel Island
B. Settling in America
-Immigrants were looking for better opportunities and went where the jobs were
-Most settled in big cities (Boston, NY, Philadelphia, etc.)
-many settled in ethnic neighborhoods with people from the same region
-Little Italy, Chinatown, etc.
-many of these neighborhoods created unique cultures
C. Immigrants Take Tough Jobs
-Many immigrants took jobs in factories or sweatshops
-Chinese immigrants settled in the West and worked on the railroads
and set up stores
-After a Revolution in Mexico in 1910 more Mexicans immigrated to the United
States
D. Becoming Americans
-America is often described as a melting pot, where many cultures blend
-Some immigrants did the best they could to assimilate into US society
-Many immigrants faced prejudice in America
-because of this prejudice some Americans tried to stop immigration
E. Restrictions on Immigration
-many Americans were afraid of competition for jobs
-1882 Congress passed laws to restrict immigration, often these restrictions were
based on racism against nonwhites
-One of these laws was the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned Chinese
immigration for about 10 years
III. Segregation and Discrimination
A. Racism Causes Discrimination
-Racism towards African Americans and other groups was common in the late
1800’s
-This racism lead to many forms of discrimination
-As Reconstruction ended, southern states began passing discriminatory laws that
took away rights won after the Civil War
B. Segregation Expands in the South
-Southern states passed laws creating reading tests, poll taxes and other ways to
restrict voting
-States found ways to keep poor whites from losing the vote based on these same
criteria, such as grandfather clauses
-Jim Crow laws were also passed, which created segregation: the separation of
whites from blacks in public places
-This lead to the creation of separate schools, restrooms, etc.
C. Plessy v. Ferguson
-African Americans resisted segregation but were largely powerless in the South
-Homer Plessy, an African American sued saying that segregation was a violation
of his 14th Amendment rights of “Equal protection under the law.”
-His case made it to the Supreme Court in 1896
-Plessy lost when the court ruled that separate but equal was constitutional
-however facilities were rarely “equal”
D. African Americans Organize
-Booker T. Washington was an early leader fighting to achieve equality
-1881 he founded Tuskegee Institute to help African Americans learn a trade and
gain economic strength
-He did not challenge segregation, but wanted blacks to gain economic
power
-W.E.B. Du Bois encouraged African Americans to reject segregation outright
-1909 Du Bois and others started the NAACP to fight for equality largely through
the courts
E. Violence in the South and North
-The KKK continued its reign of terror to keep African Americans from
challenging segregation or trying to vote
-more than 2,500 African Americans were lynched between 1885 and 1900
-Ida B. Wells, an African American journalist who challenged segregation
-Many blacks moved North to avoid harsh conditions in the South
-While conditions were better in the North, discrimination and segregation were
still problems
F. Racism in the West
-In the west Chinese immigrants, Mexican Americans, and other groups faced
discrimination
-Sometimes this discrimination lead to violence