US History 7.7-7.11

US History 7.7-7.11; Immigration, Populism, Segregation

Immigrant

A person who arrives in a foreign country with the intention of permanently living there

Ethnic

relating to large groups of people classed according to a common national or cultural background

Enclave

an area within a country or city that is comprised of people who share a nationality or culture

Nativism

hostility toward immigrants because people thought immigrants would take American jobs or cause demographic changes

Skyscraper

a very tall building

Tenement

multifamily apartments, usually dark, crowded, and barely meeting minimum living standards

Party Boss

the person in control of a political machine

Graft

The acquisition of money in dishonest ways such as accepting bribes as a politician

Political Machine

An organization linked to a political party that often controlled local government

Individualism

the belief that no matter what a person's background is, he or she can still become successful through effort

Social Darwinism

a philosophy based on Charles Darwin's theories of evolution and natural selection, asserting that humans have developed through competition and natural selection with only the strongest surviving

Philanthropy

providing money to support humanitarian or social goals

Settlement House

an institution located in a poor neighborhood that provided numerous community services such as medical care, childcare, libraries, and English classes

Americanization

The process of acquiring or causing a person to acquire American traits and characteristics

Greenback

a piece of U.S. paper money first issued by the North during the Civil War

Inflation

the loss of value of money

Cooperative

a store where farmers buy products from each other; an enterprise owned and operated by those who use its services

Graduated Income Tax

a tax based on the net income of an individual or business and which taxes different income levels at different rates

Segregation

the separation or isolation of a race, class, or group

Poll Tax

a tax of a fixed amount per person that had to be paid before the person could vote

Jim Crow Laws

statutes enacted to enforce segregation

Push Factors

War, Famine, Unemployment, Bad Economic Conditions

Pull Factors

Opportunities, Jobs, Living Conditions, Promise of America

Catholicism

Became single largest religious denomination in the country and people feared they would change the predominantly Protestant country; American Protective Association was one of the anti-Catholic groups at the time

Protestantism

Majority religion in the country until immigration and fears that other religions were overtaking it due to immigration led to nativism

Judaism

Many Jewish immigrants came to the US and fears against them over demographic changes led to anti-semitism

Immigration Act of 1882

Imposed a head tax of 50 cents on each immigrant who arrived at a US port; Could reject immigrants with a criminal record, mental issues, or ones who couldn't take care of themselves; Federal oversight of immigration began

Old Immigration

Immigrants primarily came primarily from Northern and Western Europe

New Immigration

Late 1890s, immigrants came from mainly Southern and Eastern Europe including Italy, Greece, Austria - Hungary, Russia, and Serbia. Also some Asian countries such as China and Japan had immigration to the US.

Wealthy

• Lived in separate neighborhoods that were well defined

• The wealthy built homes and fashionable districts in the heart of the city; Upper class men were usually business owners and their wives didn’t have to work; expensive clothing

• Upper class women hired servants and had lots of leisure time and started things known as “women's clubs” which focused on social and educational activities and over time became active in charity and reform

Middle Class

• Included doctors, lawyers, engineers, managers, social workers, architects, and teachers

• Lived outside of the central city to escape crime and pollution and to buy larger homes. Commuter lines were used to get to what became the suburbs

• Middle class on average could afford homes, some luxuries, and developed the ability to purchase manufactured products

• Women did not work unless they wanted a specific career

Working Class

• Rarely owned or rented and instead lived in multi family apartments known as Tenements which were very overcrowded

• They were dark, lacked plumbing, had communal toilets, poorly ventilated, and lacked light

• White US born men made higher wages than immigrants, African Americans, and women. Sometimes whole families including children worked and the child labor had dangerous conditions

• White US born women received better education and were able to get jobs as teachers, secretaries, and clerks. However, many women were domestic servants and immigrant women did this job mainly in the North while in the South, African American women did this job

Purpose, Pros, and Cons of Political Machines

• An organization linked to a political party that often controlled local government

• City dwellers needed jobs, housing, food, heat for their homes, police protection and other necessities and the party bosses eagerly provided this in exchange for votes

• Purpose - Informal political group designed to gain and keep power; Often developed because cities had grown much faster than their governments

• Pros - Provided people with jobs and other necessities

• Cons - Party bosses controlled finances and allowed people to grow rich and powerful from graft and fraud. Bosses accepted bribes from contractors who were supposed to compete for contracts. They also sold permits to their friends to operate public utilities

Tammany Hall

New York City Democratic political machine was the most infamous one

Boss Tweed

Tammany Hall leader during 1860’s and 70’s who was sentenced to a jail sentence in 1874 due to his corruption

Patronage

Practice where when candidates won an election, they replaced previous government workers with people who had supported their election; After the civil war people thought this was corrupt and it went on until the 1880’s

Gospel of Wealth

Gentler version of social darwinism that Andrew Carnegie advocated for. This philosophy said that wealthy Americans should engage in Philanthropy using their fortune to help people help themselves. For example building libraries, hospitals, or schools were better than giving handouts to the poor.

Hull House

A settlement house opened by Jane Addams in 1889 in Chicago. It was a community center that offered medical care, English class to kindergarteners and recreational programs. These houses allowed the ideas of family and feminine identity to expand.

Jacob Riis

• Immigrant investigative reporter who formerly lived in NY tenements published “How The Other Half Lives” in 1890

• The book included photographs and showed the harsh living conditions of the tenements and showed the working classes hardship to the public

• He pushed for action which led Thedore Roosevelt to pass the Tenement Housing Act in 1901

Jane Addams

• Social Gospel advocate who opened the Hull House and expanded it greatly to accommodate and help many people 

• Advocated for reforms such as a juvenile court system, sanitation, labor, and factory laws and established a University. 

• She was also was active in the women's suffrage movement, peace movement in WW1, and the establishment of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Andrew Carnegie

• Believed in the philosophy called “Gospel of Wealth” 

• He funded public libraries which he believed enable people to succeed

• His ideas were embraced by the wealthy but his aid also came with assumption being made about people in need

Populist Movement

• Movement to increase farmers political power and work for economic justice

• Many farmers joined this movement due to the economic crisis after the civil war; Deflation, high interest rates, and low prices impacted them

• Members of the Farmers Alliance were dissatisfied and felt the need to achieve goals through politics

• Led to the formation of the People's Party in 1892 which called for unlimited silver coinage, a graduated income tax, and federal ownership of railroads

• Also appealed to organized labor and policies restricting immigration and eight hour work days

• Held little appeal to urban voter who supported their traditional parties

• The party declined but the ideas stayed and were later implemented; A gold rush after the 1896 election led to an increase in the money supply which eased hardship on the farmers

Farmers Alliance

• Successor that came after the Grange fell apart and was formed in 1890

• Had more than 1 million members and planned to create large cooperatives called exchanges; These exchanges ended up failing due to many different factors and the fact that they were too small to affect the world's food price for farm products

• Didn’t allow African Americans which limited their power and growth but did work with the Colored Farmers Alliance

• Both groups later helped founded the People's Party but still dealt with racial tensions as White farmers opposed full rights for African Americans

Rural Struggles

• Farmers were isolated

• Racism and segregation prevented poor White and African American farmers from working together in unions

Urban Struggles

• Crime, pollution, disease, poor sanitation; Corrupt Party bosses

• Small and overcrowded tenements

• Harsh working conditions

Plessy V. Ferguson

• 1896 case where Homer Plessy challenged a Louisiana law after being arrested for riding a “White’s only” car

• Court upheld the law and the doctrine of “Separate but Equal” facilities for African Americans which became the basis for legal segregation

Civil Rights Act of 1875

• Supreme Court overturned this in 1883 which prohibited keeping people out of public places based on race and barred racial discrimination in jury selection

• Supreme Court ruled that 14th Amendment did not prevent private organizations such as hotels and theaters from practicing segregation

Details of Jim Crow

• Due to the Supreme Court ruling overturning the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and lack of congressional support for it, Southern states passed these and created racial segregation in all public places

• African Americans and Whites could not use the same water fountains or ride the same cars in the South

• White facilities were always separate but not equal to the ones of African Americans

• Poll taxes and Literacy tests used to prevent African Americans from voting

• Poor Whites who could do these used the “Grandfather Clause” which allowed them to vote due to having ancestors who could vote before 1867 while African Americans didn’t have that due to not being able to vote before