George Washington
Chapter 19 Blum Notes
1. What factors contributed to “antiurbanism” in the US?
- Tradition of Jefferson against cities
- Upbringing of the 1st generations of Americans
- well known writers were against like Hawthorne, Poe, etc.
2. Statistically describe the pull of the city.
- 1/3 of nation was urban by 1900
- between 1800-90 population of US increased 12X, the city 87X
- by 1900, US had 6 cities over 500,000 and 3 of them were over 1 million
- rapid urbanization was going on all over the world, but faster in the US
- by 1900, 6 out of 10 people in New Eng. were urban, 3 out of 10 in Midwest, and barely 1 out of 10 in South.
- drain on the countryside to the cities was especially noticeable in the Midwest and N. Atlantic states
- 1870s to 90s, cities grew because of the worst years of the agric. Depression
- luxuries of cities such as electric lights, trolleys, telephones attracted people
- farmers began to regard their harsh like and intolerable isolation as impossible
- Thus, urban migration was caused by farm depression, available factory work in cities, and urban conveniences
3. Describe the neighborhoods of the cities.
- by 1890s, cities were fragmented and tightly-structured according to class lines
- downtown business sections were surrounded by streets of slums, affluence and fashion
- residential, commercial, and industrial areas were mixed indiscriminately
- no central city of poverty and outer rim of affluence as w/cities today
- classes, races, ethnic groups were all mixed together all in close relationship to businesses
- “walking city” of electric trolleys, cheap housing, public utilities and services
4. Additional factors that encouraged and influenced growth of cities
- agricultural depression, attraction of luxuries, arrival of immigrants
- bright lights made cities safer (3000 power stations in US fin 1899)
- electric power provided street cars to move people to suburbs relieving congestion and...
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