Urbanization: New York & Chicago

Hector Herrera

Period 6

Causes of Urbanization

Urbanization: taking the characteristics of a city, the increasing number of people living in cities

Technological boom contributed to growing industrial strength

Demand for workers due to industrialization

Companies offered jobs to unskilled laborers

NY Advantages: location of it’s ports, growing capital market

Continued…

Discovery of oil

Railroad expansion connected many territories: national railway net supported urban growth, especially Chicago

Construction: cities began to spread outward and upward

Better transportation

Immigration

Extent & Degree

U.S. received more migrants than the rest of the world- near 60%

(NY) 1880-1900: population increased from 1.2 million to 3.4 million

Chicago was the fastest growing city during this period

(Chi) 1880-1900: population increased from .5 million to 1.7 million

Chicago became known as the skyscraper craze (10-story Home insurance building)

Immigration

Many moved into US for better opportunities and a promise of a better life

Many left to escape bad conditions (famine, land shortages, religious prosecution)

Birds of Passage: people who intended to migrate temporarily to make money

Higher wages than in Europe, price of living and conditions were often the same

Continued…

Ellis Island: immigrants feared not being admitted to the U.S.

About 20% of the immigrants at Ellis Island were detained for over a day to be inspected

2% of immigrants were denied entry

Continued…

Process:

-Had to pass a physical examination by a doctor; if you had a serious health problem, you were sent home

-Reported to government inspector; checked documents and made sure they made legal requirements

-Legal Requirements: not convicted of a felony, able to work, and show they had some amount of money

Continued…

1890: twice as many Irish residents in NYC as in Dublin, Ireland

(NY) 1900: 480,000 Germans and 425,000 Irish in city

(Chi) 1900: 332,000 Germans and 129,000 Scandinavians in city

Many African-Americans also migrated into these cities

Continued…

Americanization movement: designed to assimilate people of wide ranging cultures into dominant culture

English classes & American History classes

Navitism: favoring the interests of native-born people over foreign-born people

People feared immigrants would overwhelm white American population

Housing

Could either buy a house on outskirts of town, or they could rent cramped rooms in boarding houses

Immigrants often took over old housings, 2-3 families in a one family house

Tenements: Urban dwellings

Tenement House Act: NYC passed a law that set minimum standards for plumbing and ventilation in apartments

Jacob Riis (1890): published “ How the other half lives”

Water

Faced problem of supplying safe drinking water

NY built public waterworks to handle increasing demand

Showering wasn’t a daily thing, especially if in a tenement

Disease Spread: Cholera & Typhoid Fever

1870’s: Filtration introduced

1880’s: Chlorination - disinfect water with chlorine

Sanitation

NY: horse manure piled on streets, sewage overflew, factories released a lot of smoke

People dumped garbage on street

Scavengers: people hired to sweep streets, collect garbage, didn’t do job properly

By 1900: many cities, including NY and Chicago developed sewer lines and sanitation departments

Fire

The Great Chicago Fire: burned over 24 hours, killed around 300 people, more than 3 square miles of city destroyed, property damage of $20 million, 17500 buildings gone

1874: wood replaced with bricks, stone, and concrete

Crime

Black Hand extortion: criminal tactic, black hand was a precursor to a planned crime

Gangs of young boys and men made Chicago a dangerous place (North Side Gang)

6 month period in 1906: burglary every 3 hours, a hold up every 6 hours, and a murder each day

Continued…

“Hunting women and hitting them on the head with a piece of pipe seems to be the favorite sport of Chicago men.”

“a reign of terror is upon the city…..No city in time of peace ever held so high a place in the category of crime-ridden, terrorized murder-breeding cities as held by Chicago.”

Chicago Tribune

Corruption Corruption in NYC was prominent

Boss Tweed: known as most corrupt politician in American History

3rd largest land owner in NYC

Stole over $50 million by faking leases, paying for unnecessary repairs, and buying over priced goods

Tammany Hall: helped Irish and German immigrants by providing shelter and jobs and helped them rise up in American Politics (Democratic)

Chicago had similar issues; creation of parks and majestic buildings was solution

Settlement House Act

Social Gospel Movement: preached salvation through service to the poor

Settlement houses created; community centers in poor neighborhoods, mainly helped immigrants

Ran by middle class, educated women

Settlement houses provided educational, cultural, and social services

Charles Stover and Stanton Coit found first settlement house in NYC (1886)

Jane Addams and Ellen Gates found Chicago’s Hull House in 1889

1910- 400 settlement houses in US