Urbanization

1. What is Urbanization?

Urbanization is the growth of cities.

2. For what reasons did a number of Americans move from the country to the cities?

The technological boom in the 19th century made many people want to move into the cities.  Certain devices, such as the McCormick reaper and the steel plow, made farming more efficient and fewer laborers were needed.  These laborers went to the city to look for work.

Also, many immigrants went to the cities because it didn't cost much to live there and jobs and opportunities were all around.

3. What were the housing problems that many poor city dwellers faced?

People in the cities had two options for housing: they could live outside the city and commute, or they could rent small rooms in a boardinghouse within the city.  Tenements, where many families lived in small spaces, were overcrowded and unsanitary.

Immigration

Read Chapter 15-1: The New Immigrants, pgs. 460-465.

1. Describe the causes of the immigration of Southern and Eastern Europeans, Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Some immigrants came to America to get escape famine, land shortages, and religious and political persecution.  Some came to earn money and then go back to their homeland.  Most Europeans came to get away from religious persecution.  There weren't many jobs in Europe, and so they came to America where there were more opportunities.  Many Chinese and Japanese people came to America because they were interested in gold.

2. Describe the journey immigrants endured and their experiences at United States immigration stations.

Most immigrants traveled in steamship, which had bad conditions.  They were piled together and couldn't get exercise or even fresh air.  Because of the close quarters between the passengers and the poor hygiene, there were diseases and some passengers died before reaching America.

All of the immigrants had to pass many inspections before being allowed to enter the United States.  

At Ellis Island in New York: First they were examined by a doctor.  If they had a serious health condition, they were not allowed in.  Then the immigrants were inspected by a government inspector who examined their documents.  The immigrants had to prove they had never been been convicted of a felony,  prove they were able to work, and have at least a small amount of money.

At Angel Island in San Fransisco: Immigrants were harshly questioned and detained in horrible conditions for long periods of time before they were accepted or rejected into America.