Unit 3 - Urbanization

Urbanization

Increase of flow to the cities. It emphasizes the growth of cities.

Push factors

Things that make people want to leave where they are.

Pull factors

Things that pull people to a new area.

Urbanization in America

Characterized by tenements, which are poorly kept apartments with multiple residents in one building/room.

Tenements

Poorly kept apartments that provide cheap housing for the working class, often with poor sanitation and overcrowding.

Public health crisis

A situation leading to the spread of disease, such as tuberculosis, due to urbanization.

Muckrakers

Investigative journalists from roughly 1890-1920 who exposed corruption and societal faults in the United States.

Jacob Riis

A tenement photographer known for his work in advocating for the poor.

Upton Sinclair

An author known for exposing working conditions in his writings.

Settlement housing

Provides services such as education, healthcare, and childcare to aid immigrants and the poor.

Dumbbell tenements

Named after their shape, built to accommodate immigrants but failed to increase light and air ventilation.

Pendleton Act 1883

Replaced the spoils system and mandated competitive exams for government jobs based on a merit system.

Public Transportation

Focused on urban expansion, with streetcars and trolleys becoming the primary mode of transportation for city dwellers.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Law passed in 1882 that banned Chinese laborers from entering the United States, the first law to restrict immigration based on race and nationality.

Ellis Island

Federal immigration center in New York where most immigrants underwent medical and legal inspections.

Political machines

Highly organized political groups that maintain control over a city, county, or state, often through corruption.

Party Boss

Head of powerful/corrupt political machines who controlled elections and engaged in graft.

Tammany Hall

Dominated New York politics, run by 'Boss' William M. Tweed, providing jobs and housing to immigrants in exchange for votes.

Graft

Abusing one's power and position for personal political gain.

Tammany Hall Stats

Budget for $250,000 but ended up spending $13 million due to fraudulent billing.