Esposito 1

F
America Moves to the City
From 1865-1900, the population of American cities had grown incredibly. By 1890,
major cities like New York and Philadelphia had populations greater than 1 million. By 1900,
New York was the second largest city in the world. People were attracted to cities by new
technology, such as telephones, and work. The cities became filled with what we call new
immigrants, drawn to America for opportunity. Most of the immigrants who came to America at
this time were southern and eastern Europeans, and didnt plan on staying in America forever.
Many immigrants went back to their homes in Europe with money.
With the boom in population during this time, came great improvements. Cities were
expanding upward with skyscrapers, and even outward. The economy was healthy and growing.
Public schools also thrived during this time. It had become evident that public schooling would
make for a brighter population, which would contribute to the growth and well-being of the
economy. So, by 1900, more than six thousand high schools existed across the country with free
textbooks available to all students. However, American cities were segregated highly by race,
ethnicity, and social class. The new immigrants had little money, limited English language skills,
and new no one in America. Many Millions of newcomers had little money, a limited
understanding of the English language, and no friends, family, or acquaintances to greet them
upon their arrival. Unlike the highly literate immigrants who bought land and started businesses
in America decades earlier, the new immigrants were largely illiterate and willing to accept low
paying industrial jobs in the cities. The new immigrants were highly illiterate and were willing to
accept low paying industrial jobs in the cities. To survive the new world, immigrants often
bonded with their ethnic groups and formed communities such as Little Italy and Chinatown.

Esposito 2

However, with crowded cities, living conditions were terrible. Many living spaces were crowded
thirty-two four-room apartments on a plot no larger than 25 by 100 feet. Some buildings featured
communal toilets on each floor, while others required residents to use an outhouse in the alley.
Usually, only one room in each apartment included a window and an air vent. Garbage and
sanitation was a huge problem. Sewers flooded and garbage piled up on porches. This lead to
health problems and infectious diseases among cities. Many people were so poor that they turned
to theft. During the 1880s, the number of homicides in American cities tripled, and the prison
population in the United States increased by 50 percent. Because of little living space, America
resulted to the first restrictive law against immigrants in 1882. It forced criminals to leave their
homes and travel back to their homelands. In 1882, Congress barred the Chinese from
immigrating to the United States (Chinese Exclusion Act).
During the time from 1865 to 1900, American cities boomed in population. New faces
arrived in hopes of better opportunities. However, living in America if you were in a low class,
which most immigrants were, was very hard. Living conditions and wages were terrible.
However, cities grew and America was financially doing very well.