US History chap 4-6

New Immigrants

poor and unskilled, came from southern and eastern europe

Steerage

bottom of the ship, were 3rd class stayed

Elllis Island

evaluated newcomers from the east

Angel Island

evaluated new comers from the west

Americanization

assimilating immigrants into American society would make them more loyal citizens

melting pot

the mixing of cultures

Nativism

favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born ones

Chinese Exclusion Act

Denied any additional Chinese laborers to enter the country while allowing students and merchants to immigrate.

Urbanization

An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.

Rural-to-urban migrant

a person who moves from an agricultural area to a city

Skyscraper

a very tall building with many stories

Elisha Otis

Inventor who developed the first safety elevator in 1852.

Mass transit

Transportation systems designed to move large numbers of people along fixed routes. ( trams, trains, subways, buses)

Suburb

a residential district located on the outskirts of a city

Frederick Law Olmsted

landscape architect who believed that beautiful places created better people.

Tenement

A building in which several families rent rooms or apartments, often with little sanitation or safety

Cholera

an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated water or food

Mark Twain

writer and humorist

Gilden Age

Time period after Reconstruction. Looks great on the surface, but if one scratches the surface it is very different. Term coined by Mark Twain

Conspicuous consumerism

purchasing of goods and services for the purpose of impressing others

Mass culture

leisure and cultural activities shared by many people

Joseph Pullitzer

Newspaper writer who used yellow journalism to increase circulation of his NYC papers.

William Randolph Hearst

A leading newspaperman of his times, he ran The New York Journal and helped create and propagate "yellow (sensationalist) journalism."

Horatio Alger

Writer of novels stressing rags to riches stories of boys

Tin Pan Alley

music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Ragtime

A type of music featuring melodies with shifting accents over a steady, marching-band beat; originated among black musicians in the south and midwest in the 1880s

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

Push factors

war, persecution, poverty

pull factors

better economy, freedom

Immigrant’s impact to the US

did hard work, like railroad building, worked in factories, mins

What caused urban growth

Job opportunities, people were educated, women could work

How did technology improve cities

less crowded; cities grew up because of skyscraper, mass transit

How did dwellers solve problems of rapid urban growth

regulated housing, sanitation, public health

Mass culture development

people could read, consumed the same things