Chap 19 Urban Life

Urban America 1877-1920

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Ch.19: Urban Life, 1877–1920 

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New urban environment create many changes Cities = source of hope, conflict, adjustment Especially so for “New Immigrants” 51% of Americans urban (1920) City central to US life Source of diversity & pluralism (class, race, ethnicity) Also new sources of entertainment (vaudeville) 2

Outline of this Lecture I. Economic & Social Forces That Changed Cities A)Industrialization B)Transportation C)Population Growth

II.Urban Life

A)Rich / Poor / Middle Classes − “Machine” Politics & Urban Life C)Betterment / Improvement D)Women & Minorities E)Ethnic / cultural enclaves

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I. Economic and Social Forces that Changed the Cities »Industrialization »Transportation »Population Growth

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A. Industrial Development  

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Cities = centers of industrial growth Concentration of capital, workers, & consumers Most cities have variety of factories Often specialize in 1 product (clothing, NYC; steel, Pittsburgh) Shape of city change Earlier cities compact; sprawl start late 1800s 5

B. Transportation Revolution ,

Horse railways, 1880s Subways, elevated trains and electric trolleys,1890s

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Mechanization of Mass Transportation 

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Mass transit allow middle-class & rich to live away from congestion of urban core Then commute for work, shopping, etc. Cable cars, 1870s; electric streetcars, 1890s; interurbans, 1900-1920s Largest cities build elevated trains and/or subways (both expensive) to bypass traffic With sprawl, cities subdivide Growing separation between home & work Between rich & poor 7

Interurban Car, Urbana, IL 1909

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Beginnings of Urban Sprawl 

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Electric interurban railways link nearby cities and accelerate growth of suburbs Fares too expensive for factory workers Growth unplanned & guided by profit motive Little attention to parks, traffic, etc. Some businesses (shops) also move to suburbs Urban core = work zone Urban growth both centrifugal & centripetal <==City==> / ==>City<== 9

C. Population Growth

Foreign Immigration  In-Migration from Rural Areas 

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Population Shifts • 1860 1 in 6 Americans lived in cities of 8,000 or more OR nearly 20 percent lived in cities • 1890 3 in 10 lived in cities OR 33.3 percent lived in cities • 1900 40 percent lived in cities • 1920 50 percent lived in cities

• Urban population increased 700 percent between 1865 and 1905 11

Population Growth    

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1870: 10 million Americans in cities 1920: 54 million (550% increase) Some growth from annexing nearby areas Biggest factor = in-migration from countryside and immigration from abroad Rural populace decline Low crop prices & high debts hurt farmers Move to cities for jobs & to escape isolation 12

Population Growth (cont.) 

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1000s of rural African Americans migrate to cities in search of new opportunities Discrimination limit them to service jobs More openings for black women than men Many Hispanics in West migrate to cities Take over unskilled jobs (construction) Even more newcomers were immigrants Some from Canada, Asia, or Latin America 13

Foreign Immigration    

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Most immigrants from Europe 26 million (1870–1920); most go to cities Part of worldwide population movement Causes: population pressure, land redistribution, & industrialization Religious persecution motivate some New communications & transportation facilitate global movement of peoples 14

Immigration to the United States, 1870-1900

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The “New” Immigration 

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Earlier, most European immigrants from northern & western Europe (Map 19.2) By 1900, shift to southern & eastern Europe Bring greater diversity in language, religion, ethnicity, & customs to USA Foreign-born & native-born of foreign parents become majority in many US cities (Figure 19.1) Many native-born whites (old immigrant heritage) resent “new” immigrants 16

Ellis Island

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z23tbYOHHAI

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In-Migration from Rural Areas 

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Falling crop prices, economic recessions & depressions (“boom & bust” cycles) Lure of steady / steadier employment in factories / offices / retail Greater social opportunities Mechanization of agriculture means fewer people needed “down on the farm”

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Urban and Rural Population, 1870-1900 (in millions)

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II. Urban Life A)Rich / Poor / Middle Classes − “Machine” Politics & Urban Life C)Betterment / Improvement D)Changes in the Social Fabric of the Family E)Ethnic / Cultural Life F)Beginnings of Mass Culture 20

A. Rich / Poor / Middle Class 

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Concentration of wealth & power in the cities – financial sectors Concentration of industrial work in cities Rising managerial class / mid-level workers Growing consumer culture

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Currier & Ives Print of the Proposed Brooklyn Bridge (1877)

The Brooklyn Bridge in 1890 (built in 1883)

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N.Y. Tribune Building, 1873-1875

Architect: Richard Morris Hunt

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New York World Building, 1890 

Architect: George B. Post 309' high

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Park Row Building, New York, 1899

Architect: R.H. Robertson 391' high 25

(Old) Madison Square Garden, NYC

Architects McKim, Mead and White Tower 304' high

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St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City

5th Ave. near St. Patrick's 1858-1879

Tower completed in 1888  330' high

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Fifth Avenue in New York City on Easter Sunday in 1900

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Hester Street, New York City c. 1902

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Living Conditions in the Inner City 

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Massive influx of people create immense problems of overcrowding, disease, poverty Some improvement overtime, but many problems remain Biggest problem = lack of adequate housing High rents force 2–3 families to occupy onefamily apartments in tenements, esp. NYC Tiny rooms lack windows, water, safe heat Result = disease, vermin, & filth 30

New York tenements at the turn of the century

500,000 people per square mile in the Lower East Side. One person per square foot.

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Room in a Tenement Flat, 1910

Jessie Tarbox Beals Museum of the City of New York

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Jacob Riis (1849-1914) Photographer and author of How the Other Half Lives (1890)

Children sleeping in Mulberry Street (1890)

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“Street Arabs” in sleeping quarters

Jacob Riis

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Sabbath Eve in a Coal Cellar

Jacob Riis

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Police Station Lodger

Jacob Riis

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Showing Their Tricks: Hell’s Kitchen Boys, 1888-1889

Jacob Riis 37

Bohemian Cigar Makers in a Tenement Sweatshop, 1889

Jacob Riis

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Chicago Slums c. 1900 Children playing near a dead horse

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Bobover Rebbe and his granddaughter, Borough Park, New York.

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Home of an Italian Rag picker, 1888

Jacob Riis

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B. “Machine” Politics & Urban Life • Organized group  that controlled the activities of a political party in a city. • Offered services to voters and businesses in exchange for political and financial support. • Pyramid with local precinct workers at bottom and political boss at top. • Immigrants fueled the machine as voters. They Received: – Naturalization – Housing – Jobs 42

Political Machines (cont.) 

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NYC’s Tammany Hall mix personal gain with public accomplishments Profit from control of city contracts & jobs Also profit from illegal actions (gambling) Construct vital public works Bribes & kickbacks inflate costs to taxpayers Like business leaders, bosses use politics for self-interest and reflect racial/ethnic 43 bias

Boss Tweed and the Tammany Hall Machine

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Tammany Hall and Machine Politics City Hall Mayor Bd. of Aldermen

1 Ward st

2nd Ward

VOTES

Tammany Hall Boss 3rd Ward MONEY

4th Ward 45

The Tammany Tiger Loose

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C. Betterment / Improvement 

Efforts to improve and to better the lives of city dwellers came on several fronts: − Economic − Social − Spiritual / Moral − Governmental 47

Diagram of a dumbbell tenement, c. 1879 Illegal by 1901

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Housing Reform; New Home Technology 

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NY regulate light, ventilation, & safety of new buildings; not affect existing structures Riis & Veiler advocate model tenements Even reformers reject public housing New systems of heat, light, & plumbing benefit upper & middle classes first Slowly others gain access to gas, electricity, water Wealthy create new private spaces in home 49

Sanitation, Construction; Urban Poverty 

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In response to germ theory, cities build better water purification & sewer systems Street paving, steel-frame construction, elevators, & steam-heat improve urban life Still, many working families live in poverty Seasonal nature of work; boom/bust cycles Americans debate whether to help poor 50

Poverty Relief 

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Traditional belief: poor = many lazy & immoral / deserving poor Aid to poor creates dependence Some reformers begin to argue new urban environment contributes to poverty Advocate government action to address poverty with safety & health regulations Origins of later Progressive movement In late 1800s, most wealthy reject reform 51

The Stirrings of Reform Social Darwinists see attempts at social reform as useless and harmful  Reformers begin to seek changes in U.S. living, working conditions 

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Progress and Poverty Henry George: the rich getting richer, the poor, poorer  George’s solution: tax land, wealth’s source 

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New Currents in Social Thought Clarence Darrow rejects Social Darwinism, argues poverty at crime’s root  Richard T. Ely’s “New Economics” urges government intervention in economic affairs  Liberal Protestants preach "Social Gospel" 

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Purpose: reform industrial society Means: introduce Christian standards into economic sphere 54

A Crisis in Social Welfare Depression of 1893 reveals insufficiency of existing private charity  New professionalism in social work  New efforts to understand poverty’s sources  Increasing calls for government intervention  Social tensions engender sense of crisis 

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Crime and Violence      

Homicides & other crimes (theft) increase More reporting may explain growth Nativists blame immigrants But native-born also participate in crime Violence against newcomers frequent Race riots against blacks in cities across USA −

Atlanta, GA (1906); East St. Louis, IL (1917) 56

Law Enforcement 

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Cities develop professional police, post1850 Police often exhibit poor training, corruption, & ethnic/racial prejudice Different groups want different kinds of law enforcement on customer-oriented crimes

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Managing the City   

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Governments slowly address new problems Many urban governments lack organization Clean water & waste disposal = urgent needs Lack of 2 cause disease (yellow fever, typhoid) Engineers purify water with filters & chlorine Also improve waste disposal, street cleaning, lighting, construction, & fire protection 58

Civic Reform 

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Upset by corruption & taxes, middle/upper classes oppose bosses but with little success Advocate city managers & city commissions to create efficient government by experts Reformers do not realize urbanities are loyal to boss because boss help with problems A few reform mayors use government to address poverty (Pingree of Detroit) 59

The City Beautiful Movement 

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Architects try to make cities attractive & efficient with parks, wider streets Displace poor in process Naiveté/insensitivity of many reformers

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The Settlement Houses Famous Houses – – – –

1886--Stanton Coit’s Neighborhood Guild, New York 1889—Jane Addams' Hull House, Chicago 1892—Robert A. Woods’ South End House, Boston 1893—Lillian Wald’s Henry Street Settlement, New York

Characteristics

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Many workers women Classical, practical education for poor Study social composition of neighborhood 61

Jane Addams, founder of Hull House (1860-1935)

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In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize

Hull House, Chicago 1889

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Lillian Wald (1867-1940), nurse, social worker

Wald introduced the pioneering concept of public health nursing

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Lillian Wald founded Henry Street Settlement in New York in 1895

Lillian Wald in her office

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One of Lillian Wald's nurses takes a short cut across tenement roofs to visit a patient, c. 1908

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II. Urban Life

D. Changes in the Social Fabric of the Family

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Family Life  

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Family remain primary social unit Help members with urban-industrial problems Most households consist of nuclear family Family size shrink with declining birth rate Stages of life (youth, parenthood, old age) become more distinct Number of unmarried people increase Boarding = common practice 68

Changes in Family Life Urbanization, industrialization alter family  Family life virtually disappears among poorly-paid working class  Suburban commute takes fathers from middleclass homes  Tensions for women – Domesticity encouraged – Identity as mere housewife almost shameful 

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Manners and Mores Victorian morality dictates dress, manners Protestant religious values strong Reform underpinned by Protestantism

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Changing Views: A Growing Assertiveness among Women "New women"--self-supporting careers  Demand an end to gender discrimination  Speak openly about once-forbidden topics 

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1910 telephone exchange in New York City

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Educating the Masses Few students reach the sixth grade  Teaching unimaginative, learning passive  Segregation, poverty compound problems of Southern education  1896—Plessy v. Ferguson allows "separate but equal" schools 

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Geographic and Social Mobility 

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Newcomers cope with challenges by relying on family (pool resources, help with jobs) Also constant movement within city or to another city in search of better opportunities Some find success; others keep moving White male occupational mobility exist with more white-collar jobs & small businesses Few rag-to-riches successes Most rich start with affluence 74

Geographic and Social Mobility (cont.) 

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Moderate advance occur for some white men, esp. native-born 17–20% of manual workers rise to nonmanual work within 10 years Some downward mobility also occur Especially owners of small businesses Little mobility for women and people of color 75

Geographic and Social Mobility (cont.) 

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Acquiring property difficult because of high interest loans with short repayment periods 36% of urban Americans own homes (1900) Higher than most Western nations Gap between rich & poor widen Possibility of mobility serve as safety valve Relieve some tensions/frustrations of city life

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II. Urban Life

D. Ethnic / Cultural Life

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Cultural Retention and Change  

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Peopling of cities = dynamic process Immigrants initially live in ethnic enclaves and try to preserve traditional culture Crowding/movement force contact with others In large cities, neighborhoods = multiethnic “urban borderlands” White New Immigrants suffer prejudice, but less than blacks, Asians, & Hispanics 78

Racial Segregation and Violence      

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White immigrants leave enclaves over time Not so for people of color; racism = key factor Segregated black “ghettos” develop; few jobs Lots of animosity from surrounding whites Churches central to African American life Asians also suffer segregation, discrimination, & violence (e.g., Exclusion Act of 1882) Mexicans lose land; whites isolate them into barrios far from urban core 79

Cultural Adaptation  

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Immigrants try to preserve native language But children learn English at school & at work Music reflect cultural interaction Religiously, USA become more diverse w/ more Catholics, Jews, Orthodox Christians, etc. Some Catholics & Jews accommodate to US culture Others resist (Conservative/Reform 80 Judaism)

II. Urban Life

E. Leisure & Rise of Mass Culture

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Leisure and Entertainment Domestic leisure--card, parlor, yard games  Sentimental ballads, ragtime popular  Entertainment outside home  Circus immensely popular  Baseball, football, basketball  Street lights, streetcars make evening a time for entertainment and pleasure 

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The New Leisure and Mass Culture 

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Leisure time expand and become big business Sports: baseball & football for men; women’s basketball; croquet & cycling for both sexes Popular drama, musical comedy, & vaudeville provide escape, but reinforce bias Movies, newspapers, & magazines become profitable consumer goods Create mass culture, but USA still pluralistic 83