What was the purpose of Mass Transit in cities?
- Allowed cities to expand outward and upward
- Enabled people to live farther from workplaces
- Included electric trolley streetcars, elevated railroads, and subways
Mass transit transformed urban living by improving accessibility.
Where did skyscrapers first develop?
Chicago
The Chicago School of Architecture introduced steel-girder construction and fireproof materials.
What significant building was the first skyscraper over 50 stories?
Woolworth Building
This building exemplified the vertical growth of cities.
What impact did electric lighting have on cities?
- Safer streets
- Growth of entertainment districts
- Transformed nightlife and leisure
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake increased the study of tectonic activity and improved engineering.
How did immigrants influence urban neighborhoods?
- Settled near people from their homeland
- Provided cultural familiarity, mutual aid, and protection from poverty
Examples include Irish in Boston and Italians in Mid-Atlantic cities.
What were Mutual Aid Societies?
- Provided insurance
- Offered loans
- Supported community needs
These societies were crucial for immigrant communities.
What challenges did African Americans face in cities?
- Segregation
- Violence
- Race riots
Notable riots occurred in Atlanta (1906) and Springfield, Illinois (1908).
Describe tenement housing.
- 6–7 story apartment buildings
- Extremely crowded and unsafe
- Poor ventilation and sanitation
The Tenement House Act (1901) required indoor plumbing, fire escapes, and windows.
What types of urban amusements became popular?
- Vaudeville
- Nickelodeons
- Amusement parks like Coney Island
These forms of entertainment were affordable for the working class.
Who is known as the Father of the Blues?
W.C. Handy
He was a prominent trumpet player contributing to music culture.
What was the impact of urban journalism?
- Explosion of newspapers and writers
- Yellow journalism
- Investigative journalism by muckrakers
Notable figures include Joseph Pulitzer and Ida Tarbell.
What was the role of urban political machines?
- Provided jobs, food, and services in exchange for votes
- Often corrupt but effective
Tammany Hall was a notable Democratic political machine in NYC.
What were the limits of machine government?
- Struggled to meet needs during the Depression of the 1890s
- Reform mayors emerged
Examples include Tom Johnson in Cleveland and Hazen Pingree in Detroit.
What was the Settlement House Movement?
- Founded Hull House in Chicago
- Helped immigrants transition to city life
- Provided job training, lectures, daycare, and medical care
Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr were key figures in this movement.
What did Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle expose?
Meatpacking industry conditions
This led to the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) regulating food and medicine.
What tragedy led to fire safety laws and labor reforms?
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (1911)
146 workers, mostly women, died due to locked factory doors.
Key themes for exams include: Industrial cities created _______.
opportunity and inequality
Immigration reshaped urban life and reform movements expanded government responsibility.
