Becoming an Industrial Society

Industrialization, Immigration, and Urban Life

Important Inventions

• Samuel F.B. Morse – telegraph

• Alexander Graham Bell – telephone

• Made communication easier on a broader scale

Thomas Edison

• Patented 1,093 inventions. Included in this were the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb, and the motion picture. He was the most famous inventor of his time and his inventions had a huge impact on America's growth and history.

• Enabled factory work to continue after sunset

• Longer hours and industries produced more goods

Nikola Tesla

• Nikola Tesla invented many important items including fluorescent lighting and the alternating current (AC) electrical power system.

• He also is credited with inventing the radio.

• The Tesla Coil is used in many items today including the modern radio and television.

Elias Howe/Isaac Singer

• Elias Hower and Isaac Singer both were involved in the invention of the sewing machine.

• This revolutionized the garment industry and made the Singer corporation one of the first modern industries.

George Eastman

• George Eastman invented the Kodak camera.

• This inexpensive box camera allowed individual to take black and white pictures to preserve their memories and historical events.

Charles Goodyear• Charles Goodyear

invented vulcanized rubber.

• This technique allowed rubber to have many more uses due to its ability to stand up to bad weather.

• Interestingly, many believe the technique was found by mistake.

• Rubber became important in industry as it could withstand large amounts of pressure.

Dr. Richard Gatling

• Dr. Richard Gatling invented a rudimentary machine gun that was used to a limited degree by the Union in the Civil War.

• However, they were used extensively in the Spanish-American War.

Ellis Island 1892

• Opened by federal govt. to handle large numbers of European immigrants

• Reception center

• Angel Island – Ellis Island of the West

• Between 1910-1940, about 1 million Chinese immigrants arrived on the island

Angel Island

Melting Pot• Idea that US became a

place where people of all backgrounds could assimilate into American society

• Most immigrants did not want to assimilate

• Some wanted to maintain their traditional ways (cultural pluralism) presence of many different cultures within one society

Gilded Age 1877-early 1900s• The name refers to the

process of gilding an object with a superficial layer of gold and is meant to make fun of ostentatious display while playing on the term "golden age."

• Mark Twain referred to the era as a time in which it appeared that a thin layer of prosperity was covering the poverty and corruption that existed in much of society.

Problems and Concerns • Immigrants took away

jobs from natural born citizens

• Mistrust of foreigners due to ignorance of their culture

• Ethnic ghettos – immigrants that stuck to their culture, language, and heritage in the inner cities.

• Many immigrants were Catholic

• Violence from nativist groups led to legislation to restrict immigration to the US

• Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 – prohibited Chinese immigrants from legally coming to the US

Living and Working Conditions among Immigrants

• Tenements – one room apartments where large families lived (unsanitary and unsafe)

• Worked very long hours• Hazardous conditions• Low wages• Worked in sweatshops –

unused buildings that were unsafe for workers

Reformers• Jacob Riis – How the Other Half Lives• Exposed horrors of working conditions

faced by immigrants• New York passed laws aimed at

improving tenements

Due to work by Riis, New York started to improve conditions of immigrants

• Jane Addams – part of a movement known as the Social Gospel

• Believed that their Christian faith required them to take an active role in social issues of the day

• Opened and run Hull House – settlement house in Chicago

• Settlement houses offered assistance to poor neighborhoods

Urban Life in the Age of Industrialization

• Electric trolleys (followed by subways and trains) allowed people to live outside the inner city and the 1st suburbs were developed

• On the farm – people tended to work till the work was done

• With industrialization, people worked by the clock.

• When the workday ended, people looked for ways to amuse themselves.

• New means of leisure and entertainment began to grow in the cities.

Saloons

• Places to drink, socialize, forge bonds, and engage in politics

• Dance halls and cabarets were also attractive to women where they watch shows and try new dances.

Family Attractions• Amusement parks• Moving picture industry• Spectator sports

(boxing, horseracing, and BASEBALL)

• City parks (Central Park, NY) created by Frederick Olmstead (1st landscape architect)

QUIZ

Which of the following factors led to rapid population growth in urbanized areas?

a. Increased profits by farmers led many to seek jobs in urban areas.

b. The arrival of immigrants and people leaving rural areas for the cities.

c. After the Civil War, northern cities strongly encouraged free slaves to move north.

d. Nativists encouraged immigration which increased the population quickly.

1

Why did many US citizens resent immigrants and want to restrict immigration?

a. They feared that immigrants would not be willing to work hard and would contribute to unemployment.

b. They believed that most immigrants migrated to the South and would contribute to the persecution of African-Americans.

c. They believed immigrants would take their jobs and not trust their strange customs.

d. Most US citizens were Catholics and were suspicious of the Protestant beliefs immigrants brought with them.

2

Which of the following factors led to rapid population growth in urbanized areas?

a. Increased profits by farmers led to many to seek jobs in urban areas.

b. The arrival of immigrants and people leaving rural areas for the cities.

c. After the Civil War, northern cities strongly encouraged freed slaves to move north.

d. Nativists encouraged immigration which increased the population quickly.

3

Why did many US citizens resent immigrants and want to restrict immigration?

a. They feared that immigrants would not be willing to work hard and would contribute to unemployment.

b. They believed that most immigrants migrated to the South and would contribute to the persecution of African-Americans.

c. They believed immigrants would take their jobs and did not trust their strange customs.

d. Most US citizens were Catholics and were suspicious of the Protestant beliefs immigrants brought with them.

4

What did the inventions of Samuel F.B. Morse and Alexander Graham Bell have in common?

a. They both allowed factories to stay open after sunset, thereby producing more goods for consumers.

b. They both were among the first great inventions of the 20th century.

c. They both enabled individuals and businesses to communicate on a broader scale.

d. They both helped to make J.P. Morgan one of the richest men in US history.

5

Which of the following scenarios is the BEST example of cultural pluralism?

a. Italian immigrants arrive in the US and immediately begin to learn English so that they can assimilate to US society.

b. Polish immigrants stay within their own ethnic ghetto because they prefer to be with people who speak the same language and practice the same customs as themselves.

c. An African-American woman says hello to her white friend in front of a Muslim mosque, while on her way to church.

d. A Hispanic man leaves his homeland to come to the United States.

6

Which of the following is the BEST example of what is meant by “melting pot?”

a. A Chinese immigrant learns English, adopts western styles of dress, and moves to the suburbs.

b. An Italian immigrant learns English in order to do well in US culture, lives in an ethnic ghetto, and continues to practice many of the old ways and customs of her home country.

c. A Mexican immigrant waves a Mexican flag and marches as part of a protest demanding equal rights for foreign immigrants.

d. An African-American woman born in the US begins to dress in traditional African-American attire and practice African customs after learning more about her heritage.

7

Saloons, dance halls, amusement parks, and spectator sports are all examples of what?

a. Industries dominated by immigrants in the late 1800s

b. Aspects of urban life during the age of industrialization

c. Methods of entertainment common in rural areas at the turn of the century

d. Places and events where men tended to gather to talk politics and build bonds

8

Which of the following authors called attention to the harsh living conditions of immigrants in the late 1800s?

a. Mark Twain

b. Jane Addams

c. Horatio Alger

d. Jacob Riss

9

Which of the following people would have been most likely to visit the Hull House?

a. A poor immigrant who could not afford food and shelter.

b. An activist who believed that to truly help the poor, she needed to live among them as well.

c. The governor of the state of New York.

d. A factory worker laid off as a result of the Great Depression.

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