APUSH Ch 18: The Age of the City

urbanization

Migration from the countryside to the city caused by the arrival of new immigrants, the availability of factory and other jobs in urban areas, and the increasing ease of both domestic and international transportation, producing immense political and social dislocation

assimilation

Immigrants of different backgrounds came to see themselves as Americans, in part as a result of pressure by native-born Americans; women had a particularly difficult time assimilating as gender roles were typically very different in America as compared to their homeland

Immigration Restriction League

Founded by five Harvard alumni in Boston dedicated to the belief that immigrants should be screened, through literacy tests and other standards in order to separate the desirable from the undesirable; it's "sophisticated" form of nativism attracted many educated, middle-class Americans

City Beautiful Movement

Led by Danial Burnham, the movement aimed to impose a similar order and symmetry on the disordered life of cities across the nation; the movement was rarely able to overcome the challenges of private landowners and urban politics to realize more than a small portion of their dreams

tenements

Slum dwellings that were usually small windowless rooms with little or no plumbing or central heating where three, four, and sometimes many more people lived together

mass transit

In response to urban growth, cities began to experiment with new forms of transportation. New York opened its first elevated railway in 1870; Other cities experimented with cable cars, electric trolley lines, and subways; John A. Roelbling developed the suspension bridge

Public Health Service

Founded in 1912 by the federal government, it was charged with preventing occupational diseases such as tuberculosis, anemia, and carbon dioxide poisoning, which were common in the garment industry and other trades; it also attempted to create common health standards for factories but did not have the power to enforce these standards until the creation of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration in 1970

mass merchandising

A new merchandising technique in which many consumer goods were made available for a broad market for the first time

mail order catalogs

Consumer good catalogs that allowed rural farmers in the Midwest access the same goods as those in the cities; they introduced isolated people to the new trends in fashion and home decor as made available new tools, machinery, and technologies for the home

immigrant ghettoes

City centers where many impoverished immigrants packed together in unkempt tenements; government policy towards them was to raze them (in order to remove the "eyesores") and not build any new housing facilities to replace them

nativism

Prejudice against foreign-born people; native-born Americans blamed immigrants for all the disorder and corruption of the urban world; native-born Americans were particularly incensed by the immigrants' willingness to accept lower wages and take over the jobs of strikers; the American Protective Association and the Immigration Restriction League were created as a result of this

urban parks

Formed out of the desire of urban leaders to provide an antidote to the congestion of city landscape; the most successful American promoter of these parks were landscape designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux; the most popular was Central Park in New York

suburbs

Housing for moderately well-to-do people located on the less expensive land on the edges of the city; they were linked to the city by trains, streetcars, or improved roads; real estate developers designed suburbs to look manorial

Jacob Riis

Danish immigrant, photographer and journalist. One of the first to use flash and author of How the Other Half Lives. He helped to draw attention to poverty in American cities.

skyscraper

Tall buildings whose size and number increased from new methods of construction. When expansion outward became difficult, cities began growing upward.

urban machines (political machines)

and bosses

Political organizations, led by "bosses," that assisted new immigrants in order to win votes for their parties. Provided jobs, occasional relief, and government jobs to their supporters. Middle-class reformers targeted them as corrupt institutions profiting leaders and exploiting immigrants.

Tammany Hall

The most famous political machine, in New York, led by William Marcy Tweed (who was eventually arrested)

chain stores

A national network of grocery stores that sold goods at greater variety and lower prices than small local stores, which faced competition

department stores

Large retail organizations characterized by wide product mixes and organized into separate departments to facilitate marketing and internal management, Best examples of the time were Macy's in NYC and Marshall Field's in Chicago - provided jobs and helped to bring on a new era of consumerism among the middle class.

leisure

Time free from every-day job responsibilities during which a person can pursue personal interests and hobbies.

spectator sports

Americans became fond of watching sports for entertainment as they gained shorter working hours, better advertising, and improved transportation

Vaudeville

A type of inexpensive variety show that first appeared in the 1870s, often consisting of comic sketches, song-and-dance routines, and magic acts

land grant universities

Government subsidized colleges that focused on promting improved agricultural production and agri-science. They also promoted the study of engineering. (Morill Land Grant Acts, 1862-1890)

Coney Island

Center of amusment and mass lesiure in New York 1880s

-working-class people could temporarily escape the hardships of the working and grim realities

Major League baseball

Baseball had become an important business and a great national preoccupation, attracting paying crowds in the thousands especially after the Civil War. It boosted the overall moral of citizens and it satisfied the increased fascination of baseball and other sports.

Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution

The most influential intellectual trend during the time. Argued that natural selection caused the human species to develop over time. Challenged American religious beliefs. Eventually gained acceptance in science and education. Led to the promotion of Social Darwinism: the "fittest" in society survive.