HIST 2057 Gilded Age 1870s 1890s Part II Coates 234 Friday 12 00 Urbanization Americans moving to cities in huge numbers 1870 18 citites with 100 000 or more people 1900 jumped to 38 cities 3 cities with more than a million new York Chicago philidelphia Most big citites east of the Mississippi River New types of entertainment Saint Louis and san fran rank top 10 People moving for jobs new opportunities Idustries concentrated in cities Urbanization part of worldwide migration patterns In Europe populations in a few big urban centers In us growth distributed across more cities New York Chicago anchored urban industrial core Western cities important mostly in region Much less urbanized in the south Atlanta experienced most growth Who was moving to the cities Young people African Americans 90 of blacks still lived in south in 1900 Faced challenges finding work Limited unskilled labor domestic work Immigrants from Europe Russia Asia 14 million people came to Us Two thirds lived in cities What did cities look like Business and entertainment concentrated in central areas Residential areas pushed further out Longer commutes more feasible with transportation Middle class families moved to edges of cities suburbs Poor low income families stayed closer o Much smaller residences apartments 1 or 2 rooms o slums become more common o How the other half lives Jacob riis o Populated by African Americans immigrants Immigration Us has long history of immigration After 1870 immigrants came from a wider variety of places Prior to civil war majority came from northern Europe o Southern and eastern Europe o Russia o China japan o Mexico Most were men up until about 1900 About half returned to native lands by WWI What was affecting immigration patterns Slowdown from northern Europe o Improved economic conditions Why the increase from other places o Economic depression in Italy o Religious persecution o Avoiding army conscription in Russia Drawn to US for work or land America seen as great opportunity What did immigrants experience when they arrived Tended to concentrate in same location Most remained in cities Rare that one group exceeded 50 of a neighborhood More geographically dispersed in smaller cities urban south Rare for immigrants to outnumber native born population o But immigrants PLUS American born children could o Especially in big cities such as new York or boston Immigrants maintained native culture Churches synagogues served as community centers Chinese Japanese emphasized family Need to assimilate not always ignored or discouraged Ethnic newspapers theatres and schools also helped maintained culture o The Japanese Association of America help Japanese immigrants to assimilate and become more American o Jewish daily forward newspaper that helped to assimilate Neighborhood community organizations gave support familiarity Immigrants also wanted independence Believed American dream of hard work success Jobs available depended on local conditions skills Also faced discrimination legal restrictions o Mexicans built railroads tracks in southern cali o Chinese in LA could only work in laundries o Greeks in Chicago only food o Jews tended to work for other Jews especially in big cities Communities families and banks tried to support self employment Anti foreign prejudice affected immigrants as well present in colonial and ante bellum periods Germans Irish Catholics Catholics from south and eastern Europe Had support in scientific racism social Darwinism immigration after civil war different o Idea that superiority of humans could be determined by race or ethnicity Saw immigrants after 1870 as members of inferior races Press popular opinion that they could not adapt to self government Nativism led to calls for restrictions on immigration 1870 congress passed Naturalization Act 1882 congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act o Made Chinese only group restricted from immigrating Labor competition also contributed to discrimination o 1887 American Protective Association o 1894 Immigration Restriction League literacy test for immigrants Immigrants resisted restriction attempts o 1895 Native Sons of the Golden State Used whiteness to gain advantages over African Americans What kind of jobs wre people in cities doing Common laborers unskilled o Built railroads bridges subways Craftsmen skilled o Earned better money but work was often seasonal o Faced competition due to mechanization Factory workers o New England textile mills Managers white collar occupations Sales clerks secretarial positions Men comprised majority of labor force Woman workers did increase From 1 5 million in1870 to 3 7 million in 1890 Woman dominated some industries Textiles sales clerk secretaries domestic workers White married women rarely worked for wages Lower class women supplemented family income African American women more likely to work for wages Children under 15 worked more between 1870 and WWI Working conditions often dangerous unhealthy Workers faced loss of control dignity over labor Mechanization led to feelings of machine tending Labor unions began to organize in 1870s 1880s Knights of Labor 1869 uriah stephens Grew under Terence Powderly Comprised of unskilled laborers Advocated public ownership of railroads equal pay for women income American Federation of Labor 1886 Samuel Gompers o Organized craft unions under umbrella of AFL Some success in showing power of organization Great Railroad Strike of 1877 not organized by labor union increased tax membership o Began in West Virginia over a cut in wages o After about 8 days almost 500 000 workers joined in strike o Governors of 9 states asked president Hayes to stop strike o Sent troops broke strike after 3 weeks o Advised business leaders to listen to worker Businesses resisted labor unions but failed to stop them Almost 1 million people joined the Knights or AFL Many Americans were uncertain or distrustful of unions Associated with socialists or anarchists from Europe Events like the Haymarket Riot may 1886 linked the two 8 men put on trial all convicted Confrontation between protestors and police over an earlier dispute No real evidence they had thrown bomb 4 executed 1 suicide 3 prison sentences The AFL saw more success in protecting its members Labor movement hinted at broader unrest Unskilled laborers didn t see many tangible gains until 1930s Standard of living went up in gilded age Still a great deal of inequality poverty and corruption The wealthiest 1 owned more