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America in Transition

Vocabulary:
industrialization: the change from agriculture to manufacturing- the rise of an industrial based economy

technology: the application of scientific advancement

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Developing New Technologies

More Notes:
Money and the chance to get rich has been the driving force of this country since its origin! Most of what we do as individuals revolves around economic drives. The "American Dream" has even become the notion that any person can work hard, save money and become wealthy.

Inventions and innovations allowed Americans to take greater advantage of our resources- providing the opportunity for great wealth. As we applied the scientific advancement to our work and daily lives (technology), society and the economy forged ahead in the 50 years after the Civil War!

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Farming Settlement; Every Foot Can Be Plowed

More Notes:
The Civil War was a turning point in our history. Along with social, economic and political changes, the nation saw a redistribution of the population. The devastation of the Civil War and the emancipation of slaves encouraged people to leave the South, and try their luck in the West!

Technology allowed many settlers to make a living in areas where it would have been impossible before the Civil War. There was an abundance of land available- and that meant opportunity through farming!

Extra Links:
Click here to learn more about rural life during the late 1800s.

Click here to learn about the role of railroads in the migration west.

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American Cowboy

More Notes:
The cattle boom kicked off right after the Civil War. The longhorns (a type of cattle) had reproduced at an alarming rate during the Civil War- when many southerners returned to their herds, they were delighted. At the same time, there was an increase in the number of people living in cities- those people needed to eat. The commerce really took off!

The government owned the land over much of the territory in the Great Plains. Ranchers could use that land for cattle grazing at no cost (and anything that is "free" is a good thing). The herds would graze all year- grow and reproduce- and then be taken to market for sale. Lots of money could be made--

Now, the American Cowboy has become a bit of a myth in our western folklore. Mostly, we think of men riding on horses all day, having shoot-outs with the Indians, singing songs around the campfire and having a life of freedom. However, the truth about cowboys was a bit different!

First of all, the work was very difficult, long, tiring and even boring. Rarely were cowboys involved in shooting (think about it- a gunshot would spook the cattle and they would stampede). They were hesitant to fight out of fear of breaking their hands. Most of their employers did not allow any alcohol along the trail. The most common myth was that cowboys were all white men. In reality, the cowboys were very diverse, including large numbers of Mexicans, African-Americans and even Native Americans! Check out some of the extra links to learn more about the real American cowboys!

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Homestead Act

More Notes:
During the Civil War, Lincoln signed the Homestead Act. This was designed to encourage people to move out west, across the Mississippi River. This law would allow a person to file a claim for 160 acres of land. They would then move to that land and farm on it for 5 years. After that time, they would be allowed to keep that land- their only cost would be the work they put into it!

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Homesteading

More Notes:
There were several new inventions and innovations which helped farmers in the Great Plains:
1) Railroads: these helped farmers ship their crops to markets in the East, and brought products to them from the East.
2) Mechanical Reaper: Invented by Cyrus McCormick, this helped farmers in the harvesting of wheat- a type of grain that grew well in the Great Plains but earlier was labor intensive to harvest.
3) Steel Windmill: this provided a power to a pump that could access a well dug deep in the ground.
4) Steel Plow: developed by John Deere, the steel plow was strong enough to break through the tough sod found in the Great Plains, allowing the farmers to plant their crops.
5) Barbed Wire: used for fences, this was a cheap way to protect property. One of the farmers biggest problems was that the ranchers would allow the cattle to come into their fields (which destroyed the crop).

Of all of these innovations, which one do you suppose upset the cowboys and ranchers? If you figured barbed wire- you were right! These fences cut through the "open range" and caused the cowboys a great many problems. There were even violent conflict between the two groups!

Life on the prairie was difficult. Life was full of drudgery, hard work, hard living conditions (their houses were made of sod), and loneliness. Farmers had to face the dangers of floods, droughts, bugs, storms and fires. These pioneers ultimately "tamed" the west through hard work and dedication- driven by the hopes of a better life.

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Frontier Family Life

Frontier Women

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Reasons for Immigration

More Notes:
The key difference (when you are asked on a test) between the "Old Immigrants" and the "New Immigrants" is where they came from. Understand there was a cultural difference between these immigrant groups; language, religion, tradition and even diet. As cultures come together, there will be "friction".

In the period of the "New Immigrants" you should recognize that the Europeans tended to settle in the cities of the East (such as New York), and the Asians tended to settle in cities in the West (such as San Francisco). Look at a map and you can figure out that those are the closest shores to where which they came.

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New Immigrants

Extra Links:
Here is a quick look at a table comparing Old and New Immigrants.

More Notes:
These immigrants, though culturally different from earlier groups, had the same desires. Some seeking political freedom, some seeking religious freedom, and virtually all looking for economic opportunity! From the time of colonization, America has been the "land of opportunity"!

Look at the picture of the typical Russian immigrant family above... What do you think they were feeling? What do you think they had in their bags? If you went to a different country seeking a better life, what would you take?

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Immigrants from Europe

Extra Links:
This site examines the working conditions at the turn of the century.

More Notes:
The boat journey from Europe was expensive, long and difficult. Many of the "passenger ships" were simply converted cargo ships- there weren't even separate rooms in the hulls. Huddling together with all their belongings, the journey was made. Upon sight of land, these immigrants would go to the upper deck, and gaze at the Statue of Liberty! This statue, a gift from the French to celebrate 100th birthday of the U.S., has come to symbolize the promise that America is the land of opportunity and freedom! But just because they were on the boat and saw the statue, did NOT necessarily mean they could stay in America...

The first stop was Ellis Island. Immigrants had to pass several tests before being allowed in the country. First, they had to have some money (so that they could survive until getting a job). Immigrants had to take a physical exam to prove they were healthy and could work (we did not want anyone causing a plague or being a drain on society). They had to prove that they could read and write in their own language (to show the ability to learn). Any person considered "unfit", was sent back! Those passing the "tests" were documented, given identification papers, and allowed in!

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Statue of Liberty

Ellis Island

Extra Links:
This link takes you to the History Channel's exhibit on Ellis Island!

Take a look at the history of the Statue of Liberty on this web site.

Vocabulary:
assimilation: the process of joining another culture

melting pot: the term to describe the coming together of many cultures in America

ethnic enclaves: areas of a city that is dominated by a particular ethnic group

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Settling Immigrants

Immigrants Develop Gangs

More Notes:
Immigrants were attracted to their own ethnic enclaves, or neighborhoods. It made sense that the Italians would live near each other, just as the Poles, Germans, Irish and others. They could communicate in their native language, and work together to help each other out. The immigrants understood that they needed to work hard in order to get ahead. Most did not have dreams of riches, rather they worked for "respectability". These families knew that the harder they worked, the better future generations would have it.

These immigrants were really happy to be here. They appreciated the opportunity to work, and therefore were eager to join this new culture (assimilation). While holding on to certain traditions, they encouraged their children to learn to read, write and speak English. The growing public school system helped out in this matter, as many children were able to go to school until the age of 12 (after that, it was usually off to work!).

Living conditions were not good in these areas...

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Boss Tweed

More Notes:
Immigrants were often taken advantage of by factory owners and political machines. They were worked hard for low pay- barely enough to get by. And, with the constant flow of more immigrants, a person could easily be replaced at work.

We found that the different groups, though they had much in common, generally did not really get along with each other because of the job competition (most prejudice can be traced to competition between groups for resources). This posed a problem for the rest of the work force, as they could lose their jobs to those who would work harder for less! The stereotypes of culture resulted in discriminatory actions!

So, why would they be willing to work so hard, risking their health and lives for so little pay? Simply put, working hard meant a better future. Immigrants from the past had faced prejudice and discrimination, and now these "new immigrants" faced prejudice and discrimination.

Extra Links:
Political Machines were most powerful in the cities. Read these primary sources to better understand them!

This link goes to more information about the Chinese work to build the railroads in the West.

Here is a site that completely explains "nativism"- if you want to learn more about it.

More Notes:
The Chinese Exclusion Act came about from the strict resentment of the Chinese immigrants. They were used to build the railroads in the West. But once those railroads were built, there seemed to be no real need for them. The Chinese Exclusion Act cut off the immigrants in the West, but it still continued in the East. Millions of Europeans came to America between 1900 and 1910. There were more Irish born people in Chicago than in Dublin (the capital of Ireland)!

Immigration slowed between 1914 and 1920 due to the outbreak of World War 1. By 1921, Congress agreed with the nativists that we should begin to close our doors and passed the Immigration Restriction Act. Immigration would not increase again until after World War 2!

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Chinese Exclusion Act

Extra Links:
Some political cartoonists, like Thomas Nast, opposed the treatment of the Chinese. Here are several cartoons that show his opinion:

(Also on these links, notice how he likens the injustice to the Chinese to the injustice to the African-Americans and Native-Americans)

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Urbanization

Extra Links:
This site looks at tenement housing in New York and other urban centers.

Vocabulary:
tenement: refers to very crowded living conditions in the cities where small apartments were occupied by many people in the same family

slums: areas within a city where living conditions were particularly poor

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Urban Life

More Notes:
Obviously industry needed to happen in the cities. Manufacturers provided jobs in factories where workers would work long hours for very low pay. Living in crowded conditions helped the people (especially the immigrants) to bring their money together. But it came with its consequences:
There was a high risk of disease, fire, crime, and general poor sanitation. There was a shortage of housing, fresh water and sewage.

Check out that picture above... Why aren't those kids playing ball in the yard or at the park? You're right if you said "they don't have one"!

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Urban Transportation

Entertainment

More Notes:
Water and sewage were needed for sanitation and health reasons. They also needed to form ways of disposing of the tons of trash created by all of these people (it must have been really stinky). Schools, hospitals and other services were built. Transportation was one of the keys to the success of our cities!

We needed to come up with a way to move the population around the growing cities. People needed to get to work, get to school and get to the marketplace.

The picture above shows the crowded conditions in the tenements. Understand that that room is the ENTIRE apartment! All seven of the people in the picture live there.

More Notes:
According to the Constitution, Congress is responsible for allowing new states into the Union. The territory must be defined, have a certain number of people, and have an "acceptable" written constitution. The 48 contiguous (that means states touching each other on the continent) had been completed by 1912. Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states in 1959.

The key concept here is that as we acquired more territory, we got more states. And, this era just about ended our land acquisitions (so far).

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Johnny Dangerously on Immigration and Urbanization (meant for humor)