Immigration and Urbanization in

the Industrial Age

Industrialization and Immigration

• Introduction:– Millions of immigrants came to the U.S. in the late

19th and early 20th Centuries seeking a better life– Most wanted to escape difficult conditions such

as:• Poverty• Famine• Land shortages• Religious or political persecution

Industrialization and Immigration• Immigrants from Europe:– 1815-1860 -5 million immigrants mainly from

England, Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia, and other places in Northwestern Europe.

– 1865-1890 -10 million immigrants mainly from Northwestern Europe

– 1890-1914 -15 million immigrants came from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe. They were Austro-Hungarian, Turkish, Lithuanian, Russian, Jewish, Greek, Italian, and Romanian

Industrialization and Immigration• Immigrants from China and Japan:– Between 1851 and 1883, @ 200,000 Chinese

arrived • Many sought gold• Many helped build the 1st transcontinental railroad

– In 1884 the Japanese government allowed Hawaiian planters to recruit Japanese workers = Japanese emigration boom• By 1920 there were 200,000+ Japanese living on the

West Coast

Industrialization and Immigration• Immigrants from the West Indies and

Mexico:– Between 1880 and 1920 about 260,000

immigrants from the West Indies (Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other islands) came to the U.S.

– Many Mexicans became Americans in the mid-late 1800s because of various land acts and some came in search of jobs and farmland

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CHART OF IMMIGRATION

1820 TO 1980

1900

Industrialization and Immigration• Life in the New Land for Immigrants: no matter

where they came from, immigrants faced many adjustments– Difficult journey by steamship

• Trip usually took 1 – 3 weeks• Many traveled in steerage or in cargo holds• Diseases spread and many died before they reached their

destination– Ellis Island – immigration station in New York

• Physical examination, literacy test, proof they were able to work , and $25

• Many detained for days or possibly sent home• Between 1892 and 1943, 16 million immigrants passed

through

Industrialization and Immigration• Life in the New Land for Immigrants:– Angel Island – immigration station in San

Francisco Bay• Known for harsh questioning, long detentions and cruel

treatment of the immigrants

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ADVERTISEMENTS FOR TRAVEL TO AMERICA

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COMING TO AMERICA

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STEERAGE: THE CHEAPEST WAY TO COME TO AMERICA

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ELLIS ISLAND IMMIGRATION CENTER, NEW YORK CITY

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Industrialization and Immigration

• Life in the New Land for immigrants– Culture Shock – confusion and anxiety resulting

from immersion into a culture whose ways of thinking and acting you don’t understand• Immigrants struggled to find jobs, housing, and

function in daily life• Ethnic communities sprang up in areas that had

large concentrations of immigrants

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NEW IMMIGRANTS TENDED TO MOVE WHERE THEY KNEW PEOPLE FROM THE OLD WORLD

Industrialization and Immigration

• Immigration restrictions: as growing numbers of immigrants entered the country, strong anti-immigrant feelings emerged and the government reacted by passing legislation that restricted immigration – Nativism – favoritism toward native-born

Americans • This paved the way for anti-immigrant groups and led

to a demand for immigration restrictions• People from Asian countries often received the worst

treatment!

Industrialization and Immigration• Immigration restrictions:– Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882• Banned entry to all Chinese except students, teachers,

merchants, tourists, and government officials • 1902 immigration was prohibited indefinitely

– repealed in 1943

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INTENDED EFFECT OF

THE CHINESE

EXCLUSION ACT OF

1882

Industrialization and Immigration

• Immigration restrictions:– Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907-1908 • Response to Anti-Japanese sentiment on the West

Coast• Japanese government agreed to limit emigration to the

U.S.

Urbanization

• Urbanization = the growth of cities• Promise of industrial jobs drew millions of

people to the American cities• Urban population exploded– Jumping from 10 million to 54 million between

1870 and 1920

• Urban growth revitalized cities and created serious problems

Urbanization

• Reasons for Urbanization– OPPORTUNITY– work, to escape poverty, and gain

a better life for themselves and their children – New technology created new mills, factories,

mines and transportation systems that needed workers

– New agricultural equipment meant fewer laborers were needed and people had to find other types of employment

– Cultural opportunities

Urbanization• Urban Problems: city governments faced

serious problems when dealing with rapid urbanization– Housing: tenement homes were overcrowded and

unsanitary– Transportation: mass transit was needed to

accommodate the large population• Cable cars, electric streetcars, electric subways• Cities struggled to keep the transportation systems in

good repair and to build new ones

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IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORHOODS IN

NEW YORK CITY: LATER HALF OF THE 19TH

CENTURY

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NEW INVENTIONS MADE RAPID URBAN GROWTH POSSIBLE

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RAPID TRANSIT IN THE 19TH CENTURY

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MASS TRANSPORTATION

MOVES UNDERGROUND WITH THE FIRST

SUBWAYS

Urbanization• Urban Problems: city governments faced serious

problems when dealing with rapid urbanization– Water: cities struggled to supply fresh water– Sanitation: dirty streets, polluted air, no sewage

removal– Fire: deadly fires broke out in all American cities– Crime: lack of full-time police force = thieves, con

men, and gangs– Corruption: rapid growth of cities led to corrupt local

governments!

These problems , and many others, led to the Progressive Reform movement!!!

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HESTER STREET, NYC

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PROBLEMS IN THE NEW CITIES: SLUMS

Politics in the Gilded Age

• In the late 19th century, cities experienced rapid growth under inefficient government. In a climate influenced by dog-eat-dog Social Darwinism, cities were receptive to a new power structure, the political machines, and a new politician, the city boss.

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WHY WERE CITIES SO CORRUPT?

CITIES GREW SO FAST, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS COULD NOT

HANDLE IT

IMMIGRANTS FROM SOUTHERN AND EASTERN EUROPE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF DEMOCRATIC

SOCIETY AND WERE EASY PREY FOR BOSSES

BUSINESSMEN WERE CLOSELY LINKED WITH BOSSES

MAKING CORRUPTION HARD TO FIGHT

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BIG CITY BOSSESBIG CITY BOSSES

POSITIVESPOSITIVES NEGATIVESNEGATIVES

HELPED POOR IMMIGRANTS WITH FOOD AND JOBS

HELPED POOR IMMIGRANTS WITH FOOD AND JOBS

THEY PERFORMED NEEDED FUNCTIONS THAT REGULAR CITY OFFICIALS COULD NOT

THEY PERFORMED NEEDED FUNCTIONS THAT REGULAR CITY OFFICIALS COULD NOT

THEY WERE CORRUPT AND STOLE THE PEOPLE’S MONEY

THEY WERE CORRUPT AND STOLE THE PEOPLE’S MONEY

BOSSES PROTECTED VICE AND ENCOURAGEDMONOPOLIES

BOSSES PROTECTED VICE AND ENCOURAGEDMONOPOLIES