Transcript Immigration and Urbanization Notes

Mr. White’s US History 1
 After
we finish this section, we should be
able to answer the following questions:
• Why did immigrants come to the U.S. and what
did they face on the way?
• What new challenges did cities face, and how
did they deal with them?
• How did local and national political corruption
lead to calls for reform?
Part I – Immigrants to the United States came for a variety of
reasons and faced distinct challenges in the journey, including
U.S. restrictions on immigration
 European
immigration before this period
was mostly from northern and western
Europe – England, France, Scandinavia,
Germans
 As this period began, more immigrants
started coming from southern and eastern
Europe – Italy, Greece, Jews, Polish,
Russians, other Slavic peoples
• Pogroms forced Jews out of areas in eastern Europe
• Many people escaped overpopulation and land
scarcity
• Also much revolution occurring in these areas
 An
increasing number of immigrants began
to come from East Asia – Chinese and
Japanese
 The 1848 California Gold Rush opened up
many opportunities for people
 Many Chinese participated in the
construction of the American
intercontinental railroad
 The U.S. had also added Hawaii to American
territory, and this opened up the country to
Japanese immigration
 Immigration
from the West Indies and
Mexico also added to American
immigration
 West Indians migrated to the U.S.
because of land scarcity and poverty in
their home islands – U.S. had many
industrial jobs
 Mexicans also immigrated to the U.S. with
the promise of plentiful land
 Immigrants
faced many distinct challenges
on their journey to the United States
• Ocean-going journeys had extremely difficult
conditions on board – unsanitary, cramped, diseased
• At Ellis Island, immigrants had to pass through a
complicated entry process, though most were
admitted
• At Angel Island, the entry process was much more
difficult
• Immigrants often banded together when they
arrived to provide mutual cooperation
 Many
in the United States responded to
the increase in immigration
 Nativism was a response to immigration
• Nativism involved racism against certain types of
“undesirable” immigrants – southern and
eastern Europeans, Jews, Catholics
 Several
times, Congress worked to pass
legislation to make literacy tests part of
immigration
 Anti-Asian
sentiment grew in the United
States, especially in the western states
 In California, many Chinese and Japanese
were competing for jobs with others
 The Chinese Exclusion Act banned entry
into the U.S. for most Chinese
 The Gentleman’s Agreement between U.S.
President Teddy Roosevelt and Japan
agreed to restrict some types of Japanese
immigration, if the U.S. agreed to not
segregate Japanese in the U.S.
Part II – The rapid growth of cities resulted in new problems and
solutions for city governments.
 As
the century moved on, cities began to
grow for many different reasons
• Immigration from foreign countries – most
immigrants settled in ethnic neighborhoods in
cities
• Migration from rural areas – loss of farming jobs
forced many people to look for city jobs
• The Great Migration – free black southerners
moved north looking for jobs and equality
 As
they grew, cities faced more problems
that they hadn’t faced before
• Housing – many people lived in substandard
housing (cramped, unhealthy, bad sanitation)
 Cities established building and ventilation codes to
prevent this
• Transportation – Greater numbers of people
meant more congestion, traveling great
distances
 Cities began to build mass transit systems
 Water
– many people lacked access to
clean water
• Cities began to introduce filtration and
chlorination systems
 Sanitation
– lots of garbage and other
waste piling up
• Cities developed sewer lines and sanitation
departments
 Crime
– more crime with an influx of
people
• Many cities paid for salaried police departments
 Fire
– fire became a constant threat in
cities
• Wooden dwellings, water delivery problems,
open flame lighting and heating
• Cities developed salaried fire companies; new,
flammable building materials made cities safer
 Reformers
who saw these city problems
tried to solve city issues
 The Settlement House Movement worked
to help city dwellers
• Provided education and recreation
• Also provided food and clothing to needy
Part III – Local and national political corruption led to calls for
reform to a corrupt political system.
 In
many cities, political machines designed
to wield political power began to develop
• These political machines were organized under
political bosses, like Boss Tweed of New York City
 Political
bosses won much support by
providing political services to citizens –
citizens voted for them in return
 They also controlled access to city jobs
through their political influence
 Many political bosses were skilled at
working with and helping immigrant
populations
 However, many
political bosses also
became corrupt
• Some resorted to election fraud to get elected –
intimidated or bribed voters, sometimes used the
names of dead people to vote
• Many used graft to enrich themselves – overinflate
costs for government jobs (construction, services,
etc.), then take the kickback
 Men
like Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall were
convicted and imprisoned for corruption
 To
combat this rising corruption, many
reformers tried to end the political rings
 Many proposed oversight of civil service
jobs – people wouldn’t be selected
based on political connections, but on
qualification
 However, with the loss of political jobs,
political machines now turned to big
business for support
 Now
get ready for your post-assessment!
 Which
of these was NOT a motivation for
an immigrant to come to America?
A. To escape religious persecution
B. To find an occupation or land
C. To escape overpopulation
D. To experience multiculturalism and diversity
 Which
of these hazards would an
immigrant most likely face on his/her
journey?
A. A difficult ocean journey
B. British privateers
C. Confederate slave-catchers
D. Viking raiders
 An
immigrant who went through Ellis
Island would most likely not have come
from
A.
B.
C.
D.

Asia
Eastern Europe
Western Europe
Northern Europe
 Many
growing cities developed ______
systems to alleviate transportation
challenges.
A. Wagon train
B. Taxi
C. Mass transit
D. Aviation
 Conditions
in many city neighborhoods
in the late 19th century could best be
described as________________________.
A.
B.
C.
D.
beautiful
picturesque
unsanitary
scarce
 “Boss” Tweed
was in charge of
A. Tammany Hall
B. Carnegie Hall
C. Independence Hall
D. Convention Hall