LT: I can explain the causes and
effects of the rapid growth of cities
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The Industrial Revolution reshaped American cities. Millions of
people moved to cities in search of jobs. Cities and reformers battled the
problems caused by such rapid growth while American urban dwellers
discovered the excitement of city life.
Rapid Growth of Cities
The rate of urbanization during the late 1800s was astonishing.
Urbanization is the rapid growth of city populations. Cities attracted
industry, and industry attracted people. Farmers, immigrants and African
Americans from the South all migrated to cities in search of jobs and
excitement.
Cities near waterways drew industry because they provided easy
transport for goods. New York City and San Francisco had excellent ocean
harbors. Chicago rose on the shores of Lake Michigan. Technology also
helped cities grow. Electric streetcars and subways made it easier for people
to get around. Growing urban populations and public transportation gave
rise to suburbs, or living areas on the outskirts of a city. Cities began to
expand upward as well as outward. By 1900, skyscrapers towered over city
streets.
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Living patterns in cities also changed. The poor crowded into the old
downtown sections of cities while the middle class lived in outlying row
houses or apartments. The wealthy built fine homes on the cities’ outskirts.
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Problems of Urban Life
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Rapid urbanization created many problems. Fire was a constant
threat to tightly packed neighborhoods. In downtown slums, the poor lived
in crowded tenements. Tenements are buildings divided into many tiny
apartments. Many apartments had no windows, heat or indoor plumbing.
As many as 10 people might live in a single room. Sanitation was perhaps
the worst problem. Streets in slums were strewn with garbage, and
outbreaks of cholera and other diseases were common. Babies ran the
greatest risk. In one Chicago slum, half of all babies died before the age of
one.
To improve urban life, cities set up police, fire and sanitation
departments. They paved streets and installed street lights while public
health officials waged war on disease. Religious groups served the poor.
Some set up hospitals and clinics, or places where people could receive
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medical treatment for little or no money, for people who could not afford a
doctor. Others provided food and shelter to the homeless. Reformers like
Jane Addams worked hard for poor city dwellers. She opened Hull House,
one of America’s first settlement houses. Settlement houses were centers
offering help to the urban poor. Volunteers taught immigrants English and
provided entertainment for young people and nurseries for children of
working mothers. Addams and other settlement house leaders also
pressured state legislative leaders to outlaw child labor.
The Excitement of City Life
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Despite hardships, cities offered new attractions and excitement not
available in the country. Newcomers were awed by electric lights, elevated
railroads, and tall buildings that seemed to pierce the clouds.
Downtown shopping areas attracted hordes of people. Merchants
developed a new type of store, the department store. These stores offered
many types of goods in separate sections of the same store.
Long hours on the job made people value their free time. This strict
division between work and play led to a new interest in leisure. To meet this
need, cities provided a wealth of entertainment. Attractions included
museums, orchestras, theatres and circuses. City parks, zoos and gardens
allowed city dwellers to take a break from crowded city streets.
After the Civil War, professional sports teams began to spring up in
cites. The most popular professional sport was baseball. Football gained
popularity in American colleges. In 1891, James Naismith invented basketball. It
quickly became a favorite winter sport.
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Summary: Explain the causes and effects of the rapid growth of cities.
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