Cities Grow & ChangeChanges in American Life
1880-1914
Chapter 21, Section 1
Essential Questions
• How did industrialization change life in the cities?
• What factors attributed to bad living conditions for the poor?
• How did political machines influence city life positively and negatively?
• Who is responsible for helping those who can’t help themselves?
Growth of American Cities
• Industries Set Up Their Factories in Cities
• Cities Offered Good Transportation & Plenty of Workers
• Urbanization – The Growth of Cities
Growth of the Cities
• Millions of People Migrated (Moved) to American Cities
• Millions of Immigrants Came for Jobs!
• Many Struggling Farmers Moved to Cities for Jobs
Technology Helps Cities to Grow
• Skyscrapers:– Helped Millions of People
to Live in Cites
• Bessemer Steel Process Made it Cheaper to Make Steel (7x Cheaper!)
• Steel Was Used to Build Skyscrapers!– Very Sturdy! (9/11)
• Buildings Could Now Be Built Higher & Hold More People
Technology Helps Cities to Grow• Laying on the
Couch, Honk – Honk
• Elevators (1889) Otis Elevator Company Created the 1st Elevator
• All Buildings Used to be Built NO Higher Than 4 Floors
• WTC Had 110 Floors
Streetcars/Subways• Streetcars Improved
Transportation in Cities:– People Use to Walk & Or
Ride Horses/Wagons
• How Long Would It Take to Walk From the East to the West Side of NYC?
• Richmond, Virginia Was the 1st City Ever to Have Streetcars!
• Chicago Built Subways Above Ground (The “EL”) & NYC Built Subways Underground
Streetcars Expand Cities• Streetcars/Subways/
Trains Allowed for Cities to Expand
• People Could Live Farther & Farther Away from Cities
• Suburbs Emerged:– Valhalla
• More People Commuted to the Cities for Work & Entertainment
Tenements• Tenements Were
Overcrowded Apartments (Run-Down)
• Millions of People Moved into Cities to Find Jobs!
• Workers Earned Less Than $10 a Week:– Not Enough $$$ to Pay
For Rent!
• Moved in with Other Families in Tenements!
Dangerous Living Conditions!
• Tenements Were Extremely Dangerous to Live In:
– Old Buildings– Landlord Neglect– Poor Design– Little Government
Control
• Led to Poor Living Conditions!
The “Dumbell” Tenement
Poor Conditions of Tenements
• Major Problems Living in Tenements:– Overcrowded
(Families Shared Apartments)
– No Garbage Pick Up– Dumped Garbage
into Narrow Alleys– No Fresh Air– No Running Water– Sewage Flowed in
Open Gutters (Spread Disease)
Lewis Hine (Photographer)
• Lewis Hine was a Photographer Who Took Pictures of Tenements
• Why Did He Publish His Pictures in Newspapers?
Slums• Neighborhoods
Full of Tenements & Poverty
• Most Notorious Slum was the Lower East Side of Manhattan
• Irony Today?
The Social Gospel Movement
• A Movement For Improving the Lives of the Urban Poor
• Started by Protestant Churches
• 2 Major Goals:– End Child Labor– Open Up
Settlement Houses for the Poor
Settlement Houses• Settlement Houses
Helped the Poor Improve Their Lives:– Provided Daycare– Allowed Parents to
Work– Provided Education– Taught English Classes
to Immigrants– Offered Health Care to
the Poor
• Most Famous Settlement House was the Hull House
Jane Addams• Jane Addams is the
Founder of the HULL HOUSE!
• Dedicated Her Life to Helping the Poor
• The Hull House is the Most Famous Settlement House
• Founded in Chicago, 1889
The Hull House
Political Machines• Political Machines
are Organizations (Usually Corrupt) that Influence Enough Votes to Control a Local Government
• Exchanged Favors for Votes
• Political Machine Role Play!
Political Machines (+/-’s)• Positives (+’s):
– Built City Parks– Built Sewer
Systems– Built Schools– Built Roads– Built Orphanages– Helped Immigrants
Get Jobs– Helped Immigrants
Find Housing
• Negatives (-’s)– Gained Votes by
Trading for Favors
– Broke Rules to Win Elections
– Stole $$$ – Accepted &
Gave Bribes
Tammany Hall
• Most Notorious Political Machine of All Time!
• You Must Know William Marcy “Boss” Tweed
• Stole $$$ Millions of Dollars from NYC!
Tammany Hall
Jane Addams• Also Fought For
Women’s Rights as Workers (Equal Pay)
• Fought Against Child Labor
• Worked to Improve Housing Laws & Public Health Laws
• Was Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931
Essential Questions
• How did industrialization change life in the cities?
• What factors attributed to bad living conditions for the poor?
• How did political machines influence city life positively and negatively?
• Who is responsible for helping those who can’t help themselves?