Book Project McGregor Colton Kelley

BUILDING MODERN AMERICA With America undergoing one of its most innovative reformations in history, the way of life wasdrastically changing in the U. S. With millions of new immigrants coming into America, industry booming, and technology thriving, the future world super power was beginning to take shape.Although social and economic changes were occurring and helping America, some hurt more than helped.

Overall immigration into the United States Between 1865 and 1914 more than 25 million immigrants immigrated into the United States. These immigrants came from Europe, Canada, Asia, and Latin America because of social inequality, political instability, religious persecution, and the thought of the American Dream. This mass of immigration would give the areas where these immigrants migrated certain characteristics defining them. This way of immigrants would fuel urbanization, industry growth, and political and social reforms.

Irish Immigration overviewIrish Immigrants left the rural country ofIreland in search of the American Dream thatthe United States offered. Many Irishimmigrants were farmers, and the Potatofamine of 1845 heavily contributed to theimmigration of Irish Immigrants. Between1845 and 1900 around 4.5 million Irish cameto America. Irish were mainly Catholic andwith many immigrants escaping religiouspersecution, this did not go well. Manyimmigrants found residence in urban citiesdoing factory, public service jobs, or naturalresource jobs. They lived in crowded homesand in what would be called poverty.

What’s Nativism?Nativism is the extreme disliking of immigrants by native-born people. With so many immigrantscoming into America, Americans started to develop a disliking towards these people and theirway of life. Immigrants brought their ways of life, culture, languages, and political ideas toAmerica which drastically changed American society. Also these immigrants were taking jobs“away” from Americans and occupied living quarters, somewhat worsening the effects ofurbanization.

Skyscrapers and New TransportationWith so much of the already limited amount of space in citiesrunning out, architects and business owners starting lookingup. They designed tall steel frame buildings that were able tohouse hundreds of floors called skyscrapers. With all of theurbanization and growth, some kind of mass transit needed tobe developed. The introduction of horse cars, cable cars, andeventually the electric trolley and subways, would allowworkers to communicate through their daily lives easier.

Tenement housingWith many immigrants coming to America with little money andeducation, most of them couldn’t afford farms or nice homes.Getting a higher paying job was also out of the question becauseof their level of education. With little income and overcrowdedareas a problem, most immigrants lived in tenements. These weretiny multifamily apartment buildings, where large families sharedrooms together in dark, contaminated, and horrible livingconditions.

Urbanization’s problemsWith most of the United States urbanizing,problems would develop in major cities amongthe country. Disease was a major outbreakbecause of the lack of health standards andsanitary living spaces. Over population or“crowding” became an issue and many familieslived on top on another. With immigrants comingin the nation, some Americans felt thatunemployment was falling as well due toimmigrants occupying new jobs. Urbanizationalso led to a large amount of pollution and wastebeing spilled into the environment.Violence, fire, and crime also arose as manytimes, people had to fight to survive.

Political Machines and their bossesImagine you’re an immigrant and you have just arrived in a large city. Food, heat, housing, andfinding a job is a difficult task for you and your family. The government doesn’t know how torespond to the rapid influx of immigrants, so you’re on your own. Then this third party comesin and gives you all your necessities. A nice house, more food than you could imagine, and astable job. They only ask that you vote for them in the town's local legislature. This is whatPolitical machines and the party bosses that ran them did. They were designed to get powerand keep power by providing for citizens, in exchange for “Political dominance” in my opinion.

Tammany HallWIth New York City growing at an astounding rate, political machines could capitalizeon the opportunity to gain new voters. Tammany hall was a Democratic politicalmachine that basically controlled and had connections in every aspect of New YorkCity. William “Boss” Tweed, was the machine’s leader during its most infamous timeperiod, the 1860’s and 70’s. His corruptness led to a prison sentence in 1874.

Social DarwinismSocial Darwinism originallycomes from the theory ofevolution and natural selection.That nature evolves by pickingthe strongest to survive. Peoplesoon realized that this conceptcould be applied to society.Social Darwinism also blendedindividualism into it, saying nomatter where you’re from, youcan have a better life. The richestand most socially dominatewould have a chance thrive.Lower classes wouldn’t make itbecause they weren’t able toreproduce and survive.

Gospel of Wealth Andrew Carnegie was a nationwide steel distributor and had revolutionized the steel industry. He believed that he and other wealthy Americans should engage in philanthropy. Use their fortunes to help the less fortunate by building schools, hospitals, and Carnegie’s favorite Libraries. Instead of giving lower income citizens money, he would give them the resources they needed to succeed.

Social Reforms and everything about them As society and social conditions were changing, more people focussed on the betterment of society as a whole. Settlement houses helped the immigrant population, The Salvation Army and YMCA tried to combine faith and practical aid for young men and citizens. Public education dramatically grew and the number of students attending school doubled! Teaching children about America history, culture, and literature or Americanization was heavily practiced.

Progresses in art. (Realism) Just how evolution and Darwin’s theories tried to explain the natural world, artists and writers tried to show the world in a realistic sense. Artists focused on drawing the world as they saw it. Ordinary lifestyles, what labor people did, and daily life in both the city and rural areas. Writers used literature to write stories about people’s daily lives and to show hardships as well.

The Populist party and its membersPopulism was designed to help thecommon man, or the farmer. A vastmajority of America was still rural, andfarming was a way of life for millions ofpeople. The movement tried to increasefarmers’ political power and changelegislation share the same views as theydid. New technology allowed farmers toproduce more crops, but competition,tariffs, and increased supply loweredprices. Eventually organizations knownas the Grange and The Farmers’ Alliancewould rally to support America’s ruralpopulation.

What kind of leisurely activities were in the “Golden” Age Sadly for male workers, saloons greatly outnumbered any other types of groceries. Families and single adults soon would find comfort at amusement parks like New York City’s Coney Island. Tennis, Golf, and croquet became popular, and during this time a popular sport was invented. Basketball was started by James Naismith at a college in Massachusetts in 1891.