Urban Areas Test Flashcards
why were tenements unhealthy?
they were poorly built, overcrowded, Lacking light, ventilation, and sanitation. Disease spread quickly
an immigrant who arrived in the United States before the 1880s. They came mainly from Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, and the countries of Scandinavia. Many were skilled workers but some were farmers
old immigrants
an immigrant who arrived in the United States beginning in the 1880s. from southern and eastern Europe. Thousands of Czechs, Greeks, Hungarians, Italians, Poles, Russians, and Slovaks came to the United States
new immigrants
Why did immigrants often live with immigrants from their own country
they could speak their native language and eat foods that reminded them of home. Immigrants could also practice the customs that their families had passed down from generation to generation.
How were immigrants able to overcome the opposition they faced
Some immigrant communities formed benevolent societies. These aid organizations offered immigrants help in cases of sickness, unemployment, or death. At that time, few national government agencies provided such aid.
Why did some groups oppose immigrant migration
they took jobs from native born Americans, illegal entries, they think they have to support them when they get here. They thought they would not join American culture.
Why was it difficult for people to leave farming for factories:
Having come from rural areas, few new immigrants were skilled in modern manufacturing or industrial work. They were independent on the farm but they couldn’t control much in the city.
What made skyscrapers possible
the rise of the American steel industry in the late 1800s. Mills began producing tons of strong and inexpensive steel. The safety elevator, patented by Elisha Otis in the 1850s, helped make skyscrapers practical.
Why did the population of cities increase
Many of the new railroad lines connecting the East and West coasts ran through Chicago. This put Chicago at the heart of the nation’s trade in lumber, grain, and meat. Thousands of new Chicago residents found work in the city’s huge slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants. Also, Immigrants came, African Americans left the south.
Mass culture movement
leisure and cultural activities shared by many people, advertising, mail order
How did governments try to fix city problems
new sewage and water purification systems improved city sanitation. Many major cities began hiring full-time firefighters and police officers. Police officers in cities were typically placed in neighborhoods.
Jacob Riis
Photographer and journalist who took shocking pictures of the lives of poverty-stricken immigrants, sweatshop workers, and tenement dwellers. These photos were published in his book, How the Other Half Lives.
Reformers
helped immigrants and people who lived in cities and wanted to improve conditions in tenements. Jane Addams created the hull house. Florence Kelly helped create enforced working laws and decreased working hours. Laurence Veriller, improved conditions in tenements, better ventilation etc.
Problems in cities:
Overcrowding caused sanitation problems. Most cities did not have a good system for collecting trash, so garbage often piled up outside apartment buildings did not have laws requiring landlords to fix their tenements or to maintain safety standards. A fire on one floor could easily spread, and fire escapes were often blocked or broken.Tenement rooms had few or no windows to let in fresh air and sunshine. Comfort was also scarce, with so many people crowded into such small spaces. Running water and indoor plumbing were also scarce. So was clean water. Cities often dumped garbage into local rivers that were used for drinking water. Disease-causing bacteria grew easily in these conditions.
Settlement houses
neighborhood centers staffed by professionals and volunteers for education, recreation, and social activities in poor areas. Hull house in Chicago was the most famous.
