DCUSH Topic 2.4-2.6 Vocab

“New” immigrants

Southern and Eastern Europe immigrants (Italians, Greeks, Russians, Polish, Hungarians settled in cities

steerage

third-class accommodations on a steamship

Ellis Island

island in New York Harbor that served as an immigration station for millions of immigrants arriving to the United States

Angel Island

immigrant processing station that opened in San Francisco Bay in 1910

Americanization

belief that assimilating immigrants into American society would make them more loyal citizens

“Melting pot”

white people of all different nationalities blended to create a single culture

Nativism

inclination to favor native inhabitants as opposed to immigrants

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 law that prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers

Urbanization

movement of people from rural to urban areas; expansion of cities and/or an increase in the number of people living in them

Rural-to-urbanization migrants

people who move from an agricultural area to a city

Skyscrapers

very tall buildings

Elisha Otis

was an American who invented the safety elevator in 1852. "safety hoist" was first designed for freight but was soon adapted for passenger services. The first elevator for passengers was installed in a store in New York City in 1857. also developed a steam-powered elevator that became the basis for the Otis Elevator Company.

Mass transit

public transportation systems that carry large numbers of people

Suburbs

residential area on the edge of a city or large town

Freederiick Law Olmstead

was an influential American landscape architect best known for designing Central Park in New York City. also contributed to the preservation of the Yosemite park in California, the park spaces around Niagara Falls, and a large system of public parks in Boston.

Tenements

multistory buildings divided into apartments to house as many residents as possible

Cholera

a severe bacterial infection of the small intestine that causes dehydration, usually caused by drinking contaminated water

Mark Twain

was the pen name for Samuel Langhorne Clemons, an American novelist and humorist who wrote famous works such as Life on the Mississippi, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. His stories reflected the American experience as he saw it.

Gilded Age

term coined by Mark Twain to describe the post-Reconstruction era as a facade of prosperity

Conspicuous consumerism

purchasing of goods and services with the purpose of impressing others

Mass culture

similar cultural patterns throughout a society as a result of the spread of transportation, communication, and advertising

Joseph Pulitzer

was an influential American newspaper editor and publisher. helped format the modern newspaper and included investigative reporting, sports and fashion coverage, comics, and illustrations in his papers.

William Randolph Hearst

was an American newspaper publisher who created the nation’s largest newspaper chain. He, along with Joseph Pulitzer, helped popularize investigative reporting and sensationalist journalism.

Horatio Alger

was an American author who sold more than 20 million copies of novels that explored the rags-to-riches theme. created characters who rose to fame and wealth through hard work and determination.

Tin Pan Alley

section on 28th Street in New York City that became the center of the music publishing industry in the late 1800s; genre of popular American music

Vaudeville

type of show that included dancing, singing, and comedy sketches and became popular in the late nineteenth century