In Chapter 20, we will explore the growth of American cities after the Civil War and the effects of this growth on American culture. As millions of immigrants poured into the cities, they became a source of political power for the "bosses" that emerged from their communities. These bosses and their political machines created a system of patronage in which they assisted their constituents with the myriad problems caused by adapting to a new culture and by the overcrowded, unsanitary conditions in the working-class neighborhoods in return for votes. As immigrants and rural workers swarmed into the city looking for economic opportunities, the wealthier classes became concerned with the dangers caused by these new urban dwellers. Like the bosses, reformers in the upper economic classes also attempted to create a rudimentary welfare system through settlement houses and other new social services. They also strived to shape the values of the new immigrants through a strict moral code supported by legislation such as the Comstock Act. Yet the convergence of Americans into cities also created new cultural opportunities for urban dwellers. Public education became more easily available on the high school and college level. Department stores made consumer goods more accessible and alluring to the average customer. Vaudeville and professional sports provided new kinds of entertainment. For better and for worse, the cities became the focus of a new American society.

Web Activities 

1.  Swedish Emigration examines the reasons for one of the mass emigration movements from Europe to the United States. Why did so many Swedes leave their homeland? Did the reasons change over the course of the nineteenth century? Where did they settle in the United States? Why did they choose these places? Now go to Immigration at the Turn of the 20th Century. Click on "The Changing Character of Immigration" and read this article about immigration written in 1900. How does this author describe the immigrants arriving in the U.S? From where does she believe they come? What concerns her about them? How does she judge their prospects for success in the United States? Now go back and read the other article, "Americans in the Raw," at this site. How do this author's views concur with the previous author? How are they different? What do the photos in these articles suggest about the immigrants? Do these articles explain the attacks on immigrants as in the picture on this page?

2.  Chicago serves as an excellent model for the development of a nineteenth century urban society because, unlike the major Eastern cities, it was only a village as late as 1850. Go to the Chicago Imagebase website. Click on the Table of Contents and then on the link to Chicago Growth 1850-1990. Examine the maps that show the spread of the city of Chicago between 1850 and 1890. Note the enormous population growth during each decade of that period. Also note the description of post-fire settlement in the map for 1880 after the Great Fire of 1871. Now go back to the Table of Contents and click on Chicago's Downtown circa 1893. Click on the picture for the Vicinity of the Board of Trade. Read the information on some of the specific buildings. When and for what purpose were most of these buildings erected? What do these facts tell you about the development of the city during the late nineteenth century?

3.  Read these two sites on Tammany Hall and George Washington Plunkitt. How did Tammany come to power during the nineteenth century? What does Plunkitt mean by "honest graft"? How did this organization maintain power if it stole as much as historians have asserted? For an example of the cartoons that brought down William Tweed, the most infamous boss of Tammany Hall, return to the Thomas Nast site. Why did Tweed fear Nast's pictures more than any articles written about him?

4.  One of the leading agencies of reform in the growing cities was the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Go to their website and read the pieces on the 1873 Woman's Crusades, the Early WCTU and Frances Willard. Why do you think the issue of temperance resonated with so many women during this period? What other issues did the organization rally around? Why do you think they called their organization a "union" during a time when unions were generally disparaged as agents of radicalism?

5.  Go to the Learn More About It page of the American Variety Stage website. Click on Forms of Variety Theater (under Special Presentations). This site examines the different forms of variety shows that became popular in the United States in the late nineteenth century. What were the differences among these various forms? Did they appeal to different audiences or different generations? What made them so popular with their emerging urban audiences? Now go back and click on the Program: Bijou Theater link. Look at the various playbills here. What elements of their entertainment do they advertise to the audiences? What can you learn about the producers' beliefs about what the public wanted? Finally, go to Houdini: A Biographical Chronology. Read the short biography and examine the linked primary documents. What do you think accounted for Houdini's spectacular popularity during this era?

Additional Research Links

Running and Reforming the City 

• Thomas Nast. Click on the Cartoons at the top of the site and browse through this collection from the most famous political cartoonist of the era. What subjects does Nast target with his satire? What do these cartoons tell you about the prominent political issues of the period?
• Jane Addams and Hull House. Why did Jane Addams found Hull House? What exactly was a settlement house?

City Life

• Victoria Woodhull. Browse this website detailing the interests and achievements of one of the leading female activists of the second half of the nineteenth century. Why did she run for President during an era when women could not even vote?

City Culture

• Coney Island. Examine the articles and maps on this site. What kinds of entertainment did Coney Island provide? What were them main attractions?
• Early Baseball Pictures, 1860s-1920s. After you browse through pictures covering these early decades of baseball, you can scroll down to the bottom and click on Baseball Cards 1887-1914 to search for cards by player, team, league, city, or card set.
• John Philip Sousa. Read about "the March King" and listen to some samples of his works. Why do you think this music appealed to Americans of the time?