Urbanization started in the early 1800's, but it wasn't until after the Civil War that it really took flight. In the mid 1800's the Bessemer Process was brought back to America by Andrew Carnegie. The Bessemer Process made for lighter and stronger steel, which helped cities "grow up" instead of "grow out". By 1890, 20% of the U.S. Population lived in cities. New immigrants moved into tenement buildings and ethnic neighborhoods. The need for labor in cities grew along with the population. Therefore Urbanization skyrocketed.
This article is from the "Orleans County Monitor", in the mid 1800's, tells us about the need for more parks. At this time, Cleveland Ohio had at first, 200 acres of land for parks, then increased to 900 acres of land. St. Louis and San Francisco had the most acres of land set aside for parks: St. Louis at 2,100 acres, San Francisco at 1,100 acres. The fear was that the increasing population would overrun the limited amount of space that cities used for parks, and there wouldn't be enough space to keep up with the increase of the population. This article is important to urbanization of American Cities because it shows how quickly it was happening, and that people were concerned about not having enough green space available for recreation.
This is a picture of Wall Street in New York City, in 1865. You can see what looks like a town hall or courthouse, apartment buildings, and a church in the background. The buildings look a little old, unstable, and small. This was before the Bessemer Process was introduced. It's significant because it shows an extremely popular street in New York before it was fully developed.
This picture is of Wall Street, in 1890 on Black Tuesday. You can see the increased number of people from the picture above this one. The buildings have been built up and have started to become what we call skyscrapers. The Bessemer Process was used to help the production of skyscrapers by having stronger and lighter steel. Cities could "build up" instead of "build out" to house a bigger population.
In the north, there were a few inventions that helped the growth of cities. The telephone made it easier to communicate, you could call other people in different places throughout the country. This allowed business owners to communicate freely with one another. The light bulb allowed factories to stay open all night and people to have light inside their homes, instead of using kerosene lamps or candles. The assembly line was created in factories, and efficient mass production helped big businesses in cities. By 1900, the U.S. was the most industrialized and advanced country in the world.
In the north, there were a few inventions that helped the growth of cities. The telephone made it easier to communicate, you could call other people in different places throughout the country. This allowed business owners to communicate freely with one another. The light bulb allowed factories to stay open all night and people to have light inside their homes, instead of using kerosene lamps or candles. The assembly line was created in factories, and efficient mass production helped big businesses in cities. By 1900, the U.S. was the most industrialized and advanced country in the world.
This is a picture from New York in the mid 1800's. You can see that this was before urbanization, there are cobblestone and brick walkways. People had carriages that were pulled by horses. and all the buildings look very old. This looks like a wealthier part of town, you can see the little girls are wearing boots, nice dresses, and hats. The women in the back are wearing nicer dresses as well, they look clean and well put together. This doesn't look like an immigrant slum, or poor part of the city. This shows that there is a clear line between income groups.
This is a picture of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in the late 1800's. You can see two men walking along the cables that connect the towers of the bridges. They don't have harnesses on, and it looks very unsafe. This is significant because you can see the kinds of conditions these men are working in. You can see in the background the widespread city, that still hasn't been built up yet. When bridges were first built in the U.S, trolleys, subways, and elevated rail lines were also introduced. In the age of invention, we had many improvements in transportation and communication.
This article is very important because it is talking about the mass amount of immigrants who came to the U.S. in this period of time. Millions of immigrants came to the U.S. looking for a better life. The mass immigration led to the creation of tenement buildings and ethnic neighborhoods. The conditions in Europe pushed immigrants to come to America for economic opportunities, democracy, and religious freedom. Most of the immigrants came through Ellis Island in New York, most of these men and women were not educated, were unskilled workers, and could not read or write. When the immigrants came through Ellis Island, they had to undergo a physical examination. Anyone with a serious health problem was sent back to the country they came from. They had to prove they had never been convicted of a felony, and demonstrate that they were able and willing to work. They also had to have at least $25 to show that they were able to start off decently.
This graph shows the U.S. urban/rural population from 1850-1900. You can see that the rural population is decreasing as the urban population increases. As the years go on more and more people move to cities for better job opportunities. A lot of these people were immigrants. Two-thirds of immigrants settled in ethnic neighborhoods within cities. These immigrants were surrounded by familiar food, customs, and languages, making them feel more at home. Businesses catered to the needs of these new residents.
The railroad industry improved the growth of large cities as well, by allowing people to get from place to place faster than they could before.
The railroad industry improved the growth of large cities as well, by allowing people to get from place to place faster than they could before.
The only problems with urbanization in cities were the horrible conditions these immigrants often lived in. They lived in tenement buildings which were run down, low-rent, and clustered together in the poorest parts of town. Most of Manhattan's fires happened in tenement buildings, as they had little ventilation or light, and were filthy. There was usually more than one family living in an apartment or around 5-6 men or women living together in one apartment. They were extremely crowded. Diseases, such as Tuberculosis, spread easily throughout the immigrant slums, and caused 60% of immigrant babies to die before their first birthdays. The streets were often flooded with waste because there was no developed sewage system at the time.