Chapter 10 Flashcards
What vision did mainstream Americans have by 1896 regarding individualism and government?
A world where hardworking individualists could rise, protected by an activist government that curbed business and organized labor.
This vision was influenced by both northern and southern views of American republicanism.
What demographic changes occurred in American society between 1890 and the First World War?
Increased population size, significant population movements from rural to urban areas, and regional migrations.
This period also saw shifts in social attitudes among Americans.
How many European immigrants came to the United States between 1890 and 1914?
More than 18 million.
This was part of the great Atlantic Migration that occurred after the Civil War.
What were the learning objectives of the chapter regarding immigration and urbanization?
- Increased immigration and urbanization from 1890 to 1914
- Consequences of immigration and urbanization for American society and culture
- Changes in the position of African-Americans between 1890 and the First World War
What was a key question to consider while reading the chapter?
In what ways did the economy and society of the USA change and develop?
Other key questions include how united the USA was during this period and the importance of key individuals and groups.
True or False: By 1896, mainstream Americans believed that anyone could improve their economic situation.
False.
By 1896, it was believed that many would fail and that this was their own fault.
Fill in the blank: The experiences of settling in a new society changed the _______ of immigrants.
[experiences]
What societal changes were influenced by the great Atlantic Migration?
Social attitudes of Americans towards themselves and other communities changed.
This migration significantly impacted American society.
How did the views of northern and southern Americans differ regarding government control?
From the North, the belief was that any American could improve their lot; from the South, the belief was that those who had succeeded should control the government.
What was the condition of the individualist family according to mainstream Americans by 1896?
It was to be protected by an activist government.
This reflects a shift in societal values and beliefs.
What was the impact of immigration and urbanization on American culture?
It led to significant cultural changes and adaptations within American society as new populations settled.
What was the impact of immigration on the American economy between 1865 and 1890?
Immigration was both a symptom and a cause of the dynamic expansion of the American economy.
What motivated many new arrivals to the United States?
Many were economic migrants drawn by the promise of work and a better life.
What demographic shift occurred due to immigration in American cities?
Most migrants became urban dwellers, contributing to a population explosion in cities.
How did immigrants influence the character of American cities?
Cities took on special character from the cultural identities of the migrants, creating areas like ‘Little Italy’ and the ‘Polish Triangle.’
What tensions arose from mass immigration?
Tensions developed between ethnic communities and between new arrivals and earlier settlers.
How many immigrants arrived in the United States between 1890 and the First World War?
18.4 million immigrants.
Which regions saw a significant increase in immigration to the United States during this period?
Southern and Eastern Europe.
What were the push factors driving immigration from Europe?
Poverty, hunger, and persecution.
What were common pull factors attracting immigrants to the United States?
Idealized beliefs in America as a land of riches and freedom, and the attraction of joining established communities.
What improvements facilitated increased immigration during this period?
Advancements in transportation and communications, including bigger and faster ships.
What was the role of Ellis Island in immigration?
Opened in 1892 as a new immigration center to cope with the volume of arrivals.
What percentage of immigrants returned home, and how did this vary by community?
Almost one in three returned home; 20% of Scandinavians, 60% of Italians, and 3% of Russian Jews returned.
What demographic characteristics defined Italian immigrants?
80% were male, reflecting a focus on work to send money home.
What was notable about the migration pattern of Jewish immigrants?
Most came as families intending to make a permanent new life.
What challenges did mass immigration present to American society?
Difficulties of assimilating large numbers of new citizens from diverse backgrounds.
What significant transformation occurred in American urban areas from 1870 to 1920?
The pace of urbanization accelerated, with more Americans moving to urban areas.
What was the demographic trend in urban versus rural populations in the United States between 1870 and 1920?
More Americans lived in urban areas than in rural areas by 1920.
What was the nature of the urban skyline during the period of rapid urbanization?
An ever-changing vista of new, taller buildings competing for space.
What was one social change that accelerated with urbanization?
The spread of advertising and modern economic activities.
What was the role of theatres and music halls during 1890-1920?
They catered for the masses.
What were small cinemas known as?
‘Nickelodeons’.
Where was the film industry emerging from?
Small beginnings across the country.
What factors contributed to urbanization during this period?
Industrialisation, urbanisation, and immigration.
How did urbanisation affect small-town America?
Brought street lighting, trams, civic buildings, and public utilities.
What was the population of the United States by 1900?
76 million.
What was the population of the United States by 1920?
100 million.
What was the birth rate trend in the United States during this time?
Declining compared to earlier in the nineteenth century.
What was the death rate in the United States at this time?
16.5 per thousand, the lowest in the world.
What internal migration trend began around 1910?
African-Americans began moving out of the South to Northern cities.
What was the impact of immigration on urban populations?
Swelled the urban population and met demand for workers.
What was the optimistic belief about immigrant cultures in the U.S.?
They would merge in a ‘melting pot’.
What was the reality of immigrant communities in the U.S.?
A patchwork of different communities.
What ethnic groups were prominent in the industrialised Northeast?
- Irish
- German-American
- Polish
- Jewish.
What was the iconic example of protection offered by local politicians to immigrant communities?
Tammany Hall in New York City.
What complex relationship did immigrants have with trade unions?
Many joined unions but were seen as a threat by older members.
What were the names of two significant strikes in the 1890s?
- Homestead Strike of 1892
- Pullman Strike of 1894.
What was a source of tension between older and newer immigrant groups?
The perception of newer immigrants as cheap labor.
What was the political reaction to urban, mostly Catholic political machines?
A backlash that contributed to the growth of Populism.
Fill in the blank: The _______ was the center of the Democratic political machine.
[Tammany Hall].
True or False: The Jewish Quarter on the Lower East Side of Manhattan had a diverse population mix.
False.
What was the main characteristic of the Northeast region in the context of American society?
The Northeast was dominant in terms of social trends and modernization.
Why was the South considered ‘a place apart’ in society and culture?
Due to its plantation economy, resistance to change, and legacy of segregation.
From around what year did African-Americans begin moving out of the South to Northern cities?
About 1910.
Fill in the blank: The West’s social and economic development was still _______ after 1890.
patchy and unfinished.
What characterized Western society after 1890?
It was transient and influenced by ‘rugged individualism’.
List some groups that made up the varied population of the West.
- Prospectors
- Ranchers
- Drifters
- African-Americans
- Mexican migrants
What major social movement was a significant force in America regarding society, culture, and moral values?
Progressivism.
True or False: Progressives were universally supportive of immigrant communities.
False.
What tragic event at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911 highlighted issues in the garment industry?
A disastrous fire caused by poor safety conditions.
Fill in the blank: The fight for _______ was intertwined with the impact of urbanization and traditional rural America.
Prohibition.
Who was Carrie Nation and what was her role in the Prohibition movement?
She was known as the ‘Kansas Bar Room Smasher’ and advocated for direct action against alcohol.
What organization did Wayne Wheeler lead that significantly influenced Prohibition efforts?
The Anti-Saloon League.
What was the National American Woman Suffrage Association’s role in the early 1900s?
Organizing public rallies and linking with the suffragette movement.
What were ‘graft and kickbacks’ in the context of American politics?
Corruption practices by public officials to enrich themselves.
What is Nativism?
The idea that values of people born in the United States were superior to, and under threat from, the ‘alien’ values of recent immigrants.
Discussed in Chapter 3, page 24.
Which group is introduced in Chapter 1, page 2?
The Ku Klux Klan.
Important to understand its historical context.
What terms summarize the position of African-Americans between 1865 and 1890?
White supremacists, lynchings, and Jim Crow.
Refer to Chapter 1, pages 8-10 and Chapter 3, pages 28-30.
What significant event regarding African-Americans occurred following the US entry into the First World War in 1917?
Their position and circumstances began to change, discussed in Chapter 12, page 113.
What role did saloons play for the working class in the late nineteenth century?
They met needs such as washing, meeting space, and communication, often free of charge.
Saloons served as communication centers and provided shelter for workers.
What were the different types of saloons and their functions?
Occupational saloons, ethnic saloons, and neighborhood saloons.
Each type emphasized different features and served various community needs.
What overlapped with the campaign for women’s suffrage during the period of urbanization and immigration?
Prohibition and the ideas of nativism and immigration restriction.
The revival of the Ku Klux Klan also emerged during this time.
What was the American attitude towards immigrants in the early twentieth century?
There was ambivalence, with a long history of both acceptance and restriction.
Many native-born Americans believed in the potential for assimilation.
What was the impact of lynchings on African-Americans between 1889 and 1929?
3724 people were lynched, with 85% being African-Americans and nearly all lynchers being white.
Fewer than 50 of the perpetrators were arrested, highlighting systemic injustice.
Who proposed an Anti-Lynching Bill in 1901?
Congressman George Henry White.
The bill was defeated in Congress despite efforts for reform.
What was the role of politicians like Governor Ben Tillman in the lynching of African-Americans?
They openly encouraged lynch mobs and defied federal government efforts.
Tillman had significant influence and power within the Democratic Party.
What was the outcome of the Springfield riot in 1908?
It led to the formation of the NAACP in 1909.
The NAACP aimed to abolish segregation and enforce equal voting rights.
Who was W.E.B. Du Bois?
An African-American scholar and activist, first to receive a PhD from Harvard, and co-founder of the NAACP.
He promoted a more activist approach to civil rights.
Fill in the blank: The regular occurrences of _______ symbolized the existence of the Jim Crow system.
lynchings.
True or False: The majority of lynching victims between 1889 and 1929 were white.
False.
85% of victims were African-Americans.
What was the Niagara Movement?
A movement founded by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1905 promoting civil rights and activism.
It later joined forces with the NAACP.
Who furiously denounced the political progress made under Theodore Roosevelt?
Ben Tillman
What was the stance of black leaders like Du Bois towards President Wilson’s approach?
Disillusioned by the cautious approach
What was the significance of Woodrow Wilson’s public statements in 1912?
Hopes were placed in them for political progress
What was the revival of the Ku Klux Klan from 1915 indicative of?
The ongoing racial tensions and challenges
What film, made in 1915, depicted the Ku Klux Klan as a protective force?
Birth of a Nation
Who wrote ‘A History of the American People’?
Woodrow Wilson
What were the two significant transformations in the United States before WWI?
Rural America and Urban America
What did the social changes before WWI produce?
Losers as well as winners
What prompted demands for reform from progressives and social reformers?
Social, ethnic, and regional tensions
How did others view the turbulence of American society during this period?
As inevitable growing pains of dynamic industrial growth
What intensified the rate of social change from 1917 onwards?
The impact of the First World War
Fill in the blank: In the years 1890 to 1914, American society changed _______.
[dramatically]
What should you consider when assessing the validity of the statement about American society?
The extent of change that occurred
What is necessary to establish when evaluating historical extracts?
A clear overall context
What is the main theme discussed in the extracts regarding immigration?
Arguments in relation to immigration to the United States
