The Age of the City

Immigration and Migration

• Movement in the U.S. (19th Century)

  • Significant movement of people, particularly from rural areas to industrial cities
  • Includes African Americans seeking better opportunities
  • Many also moved west for land

• Population Growth in Cities

  • Major cities saw growth due to an influx of immigrants
  • Approximately 25 million immigrants arrived in the late 19th century
  • New immigrants came from diverse regions and often filled lower-paid jobs, causing tensions with established "old" immigrant populations

• Push Factors for Immigration

  • Poverty
  • Religious persecution
  • Political oppression

• Pull Factors for Immigration

  • Freedom and better economic opportunities

• Specific Immigration Policies

  • Angel Island: Processed Asian immigration; notably denied Chinese immigrants unless they proved citizenship or had family in the U.S. after 1882.
  • Ellis Island: Main entry point for many immigrants, processing health and desirability.

Assimilation and Nativism

• Impact of Immigration

  • By 1890, immigrants made up a substantial portion of major city populations
  • Formation of neighborhoods called "immigrant ghettos"; e.g., Little Italy, Chinatown

• Rise of Nativism and Discrimination

  • Flourishing nativism leading to discrimination against immigrant groups
  • Chinese Exclusion Act (1882): Restricted immigration by race, leading to further legislations like the Scott Act and Geary Act.
  • Immigrant Protect League (1894): Advocated for immigrant screening through literacy and medical tests.

Working Conditions

• Industry and Labor

  • Provided low-wage jobs often under poor conditions
  • Significant child labor in factories and agriculture, although new laws attempted to limit this (12 years for factories, exemption for agriculture)
  • Many low-paying jobs particularly filled by women and children, especially in textiles.

• Living Conditions

  • Tenement housing characterized by overcrowding and lack of proper sanitation
  • Existing conditions: few indoor toilets, trash accumulation, violence
  • Notable account: Jacob Riis's "How the Other Half Lives" highlighted these issues.

• Urban Transportation Development

  • Development of transit systems such as subways and elevated railways facilitated city growth.

Political Machines

• Definition and Role

  • Political machines controlled urban life, often stepping in to provide necessary social services to residents, especially immigrants
  • Focused on winning votes, sometimes through bribery and violence
  • Run by powerful party bosses; the most infamous was Tammany Hall with Boss Tweed at the forefront.

• Quip by Boss Tweed: "As long as I count the votes, what are you going to do about it? Say I?"

Education

• Growing Demand

  • Increasing need for specialized job skills led to the establishment of public education systems
  • By 1900, 31 states enacted compulsory education laws for primary and secondary education.

• Access to Education

  • Disparities in access remained; urban children had better access than rural counterparts
  • African Americans and Native Americans often denied educational rights, particularly in the South
  • Women frequently barred from higher education opportunities.

• Private and Public Universities

  • Emergence of private universities (e.g., MIT, John Hopkins) alongside public universities created through the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862.

Medical Advances

• Improvements in Healthcare
  • Advances in medical understanding and technology: Germ Theory, better diagnostics (e.g., X-rays), medicines like aspirin, and blood transfusions
  • Increased emphasis on hygiene within medical practices (e.g., sterilization).