Urbanization

Essential Questions:1.What conditions did cities experience at the turn of the century?2.How did electricity and steel change the urban environment?3.Why is “How The Other Half Lives” important in regards to urban living and working conditions?

Migrating citizens and new immigrants settled in cities: The cheapest place to

live Most convenient places

to live Unskilled laborers could

find jobs in factories and mills

Overcrowding became a huge problem for cities▪ Overcrowding led to

other urban problems

Housing Tenements arose in major U.S. cities

▪ Multiple families living in single family homes

Transportation New transportation networks were

needed to keep pace with the rising population

Water Little control over quality of drinking

water Poor quality led to the spread of

diseases

Sanitation Horse manure piled up on the

streets Sewage flowed through open gutters Factories spewed smoke into the air

Crime More people Rise in

crime rates Divide between rich and

poor continued to grow▪ People turned to alternative

ways to survive

Fire Cities were packed with

wooden housing Cities lacked water

supply Fires broke out in major

cities from about 1870s to 1900s

Firefighters at the time were volunteers

Americanization Movement

Designed to assimilate people of different cultures into one dominant culture Social campaign was

sponsored by government Aimed to teach immigrants

the skills needed for citizenship:▪ English literacy▪ American history▪ U.S. government

Many immigrants did not wish to abandon their culture

In 1870 only 25 American cities had populations of 50,000 or more

By 1890, 58 cities could make that claim

The primary way to meet the need for urban space was to build upward

Skyscrapers Two inventions led to their

development:▪ Internal steel skeletons▪ Elevator (with steel cables)

Electricity Transformed the urban environment By 1900 networks of electric

streetcars ran from outlying neighborhoods to downtown offices and department stores

Residents can commute to downtown jobs

Work of photojournalist Jacob Riis

Documented the living conditions in New York City slums

Featured 15 halftone images and 43 drawings based on photographs

Blamed crowded and unsanitary tenements as the cause of crime and moral decay

The recent invention of flash photography, allowed Riis to capture the unlit areas of tenements Helped expose the wretched

working and living conditions of the poor

Characterized the experience of more than 1 million immigrants

Pushed tenement reform to the front of New York's political agenda

Riis argued for better housing, adequate lighting and sanitation, and the construction of city parks and playgrounds

Encouraged the middle and upper classes to take an active role in shaping communities