History

Q: What caused immigration to expand in the late 1800s?

A: Economic opportunity (industrial jobs), cheap land, freedom from persecution, and political unrest in Europe pushed millions to immigrate.

Q: What hardships did immigrants face in the U.S.?

A: Language barriers, low-paying jobs, poor housing, discrimination, and dangerous working conditions.

Q: What was nativism?

A: The belief that native-born Americans were superior to immigrants; it led to anti-immigrant policies and prejudice.

Q: What immigration restrictions were enacted in the late 1800s?

A: The Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) banned Chinese laborers, and the Gentlemen’s Agreement limited Japanese immigration.

Q: Why did cities grow rapidly in the late 1800s?

A: Industrialization created jobs, and immigrants plus rural Americans moved to urban areas for work.

Q: What was the purpose of the Americanization movement?

A: To assimilate immigrants into American culture by teaching English, civics, and U.S. customs.

Q: Why did Americans move from rural areas to cities?

A: Mechanized farming reduced rural jobs, while cities offered factory work, entertainment, and modern conveniences.

Q: What problems did cities face due to rapid growth?

A: Overcrowded tenements, sanitation issues, crime, fire hazards, and political corruption.

Q: What was the Social Gospel Movement?

A: A religious movement that urged Christians to improve social conditions and fight poverty and injustice.

Q: What were political machines?

A: Powerful city organizations that controlled votes and government jobs in exchange for favors and bribes.

Q: What new forms of mass culture emerged in the late 1800s?

A: Newspapers, department stores, amusement parks, spectator sports, and photography made entertainment and news widely accessible.

Q: What were the push and pull factors for immigration?

A: Push: Famine, persecution, lack of jobs.
Pull: Job opportunities, freedom, land, and safety.

Q: What was Ellis Island?

A: The main immigration station on the East Coast (New York Harbor) for European immigrants.

Q: What was Angel Island?

A: The main immigration station on the West Coast (San Francisco Bay), mainly for Asian immigrants, with harsher conditions than Ellis Island.

Q: What does the “melting pot” metaphor mean?

A: The blending of different cultures and ethnicities into one American culture.

Q: What did nativists believe?

A: They wanted to protect native-born Americans from immigrant influence and limit immigration.

Q: What did the Chinese Exclusion Act do?

A: Banned Chinese labor immigration to the U.S. starting in 1882.

Q: What was the Gentlemen’s Agreement (1907)?

A: A deal between the U.S. and Japan limiting Japanese immigration in exchange for better treatment of Japanese already in America.

Q: Why was the Transcontinental Railroad important?

A: It connected the U.S. coast-to-coast, promoting settlement and trade.

Q: What is urbanization?

A: The rapid growth of cities due to industrialization and migration.

Q: What was the Americanization movement’s main focus?

A: Helping immigrants adapt to American life through education and cultural programs.

Q: What was a tenement?

A: Overcrowded and unsanitary apartment buildings for poor city dwellers.

Q: What is mass transit?

A: Public transportation systems like streetcars and subways that made city life more practical.

Q: What did the Social Gospel Movement advocate?

A: Applying Christian ethics to solve social problems like poverty and inequality.

Q: What were settlement houses and who was Jane Addams?

A: Community centers in poor neighborhoods offering aid to immigrants. Jane Addams founded Hull House in Chicago.

Q: Who was Boss Tweed and what was Tammany Hall?

A: Boss Tweed led the Democratic political machine Tammany Hall in NYC, known for corruption and graft.

Q: What is graft?

A: Illegal use of political influence for personal gain.

Q: What is patronage (the spoils system)?

A: Giving government jobs to political supporters instead of qualified workers.

Q: What was the Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)?

A: Created merit-based exams for government jobs, reducing patronage.

Rutherford B. Hayes:

Supported civil service reform.

James Garfield:

Also supported reform, assassinated by a disgruntled job seeker.

Chester A. Arthur:

Passed the Pendleton Act.

Grover Cleveland

Opposed high tariffs

Benjamin Harrison

Supported high tariffs to protect industry.

Q: Who were the Stalwarts?

A: Republicans who opposed civil service reform and supported the spoils system.

Q: What were row houses?

A: Narrow, attached urban homes that shared walls with neighbors.

Q: What did Hearst and Pulitzer contribute to mass culture?

A: They built newspaper empires and popularized sensational “yellow journalism.”

Q: What did these architects/designers contribute?

• Olmsted: Designed public parks like Central Park.

• Burnham: Planned modern cities (Chicago).

• Sullivan: Designed steel-frame skyscrapers; mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright.

Q: How did consumer culture change in the late 1800s?

A: Department stores, catalogs (like Sears), and advertising made goods accessible nationwide.

Q: What were popular spectator sports in the late 1800s?

A: Baseball, boxing, and later football became popular forms of entertainment.

Q: Who was George Eastman?

A: Inventor of the Kodak camera, making photography affordable and accessible.

Q: What did the Wright Brothers achieve?

A: They made the first successful powered flight in 1903.